Little Lambs
by Mediafan
Summary: Sequel to 'Drunken Confessions'. Ed and Winry deal with their feelings for one another while a nightmare from their past threatens to destroy them both. Warning: will contain swearing, graphic violence, and some torture. EdWin. Second installment of the Milos Universe series.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm back.**

 **This isn't the new AU that I talked about at the end of Princess Bride. I'm still working on that. This is something I've been thinking about for a while. This will be a short story and should only be about four chapters long.**

 **This is a sequel to my one-shot 'Drunken Confessions'. If you haven't read that story then I recommend that you do. I've thought about making a series of short stories that follow each other. In DC, I mentioned that I was using elements of the 2003 anime even though I hate it. I've decided to set this new series in the 'Star of Milos' verse since that movie seems to exist in a universe of its own. DC happened before Milos and this story takes place after.**

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 ** _June 12, 4:17 pm. Eastern City._**

Two young children, a boy and a girl, were sitting on the sidewalk. They sat together outside their apartment building. In their hands were large crayons used for drawing on hard pavement. The little girl was currently drawing her third butterfly when the sounds of tires screeching in the distance caught her attention. Both she and her brother looked up to see a large truck screeching around the corner. The vehicle lurched for a second before speeding past the children and down the street. They turned back to the corner as several military vehicles followed. As the two young ones stared in amazement they didn't see the small figure in red running on the rooftops after the truck.

The truck itself was also military, with a large canvas roof for the back. In the passenger seat was a very tense man named Rorke.

"Drive straight you fucking idiot! Are you trying to get us killed?" He barked at the driver.

"Oh apologies that I don't want to get caught. You just don't steal 50 billion cenz without repercussions." The driver, Dreyfus, shot back.

"30 billion." Rorke muttered before knocking on the back of the truck's cabin. A sliding window opened to reveal three more men, one by the window and two more near the back. Around them were the boxes containing the stolen cenz.

"What?!" The window man asked impatiently.

"Are you assholes done putting that thing together?" Rorke asked. Behind Window Man, the other two were assembling a Browning M1917 heavy machine gun.

The man grinned. "Just about."

Rorke looked past him and saw the military cars chasing them. "Then light those fuckers up." He grinned as well.

Window Man nodded and closed the slide. Rorke turned back to the road in front of him. Dreyfuss kept trying to find a way out of the city.

Soon the deafening sound of rapid gunfire erupted from the back of the truck. Rorke glanced into the rear view mirror to see the cars behind them being riddled with bullets. The car in the front of the convoy's windshield shattered and multiple bullet holes punched their way into the vehicle. Blood splattered on what remained of the windshield and the car immediately veered to the right, crashing into a street lamp. The remaining cars slowed down and ceased their pursuit.

"Fucking pussies." Rorke chuckled as he turned back to the clear road in front of them. "Looks like it's sm-" He was cut off as the truck suddenly, and violently, stopped in its tracks.

Rorke and Dreyfuss both slammed into the windshield but were saved by their seatbelts. Behind them they heard several loud thuds.

"What the fuck was that!" Rorke muttered as he gripped his throbbing forehead. He could feel blood seeping through his fingers. There was no sound from the back of the truck, meaning his three comrades were unconscious. Rorke kicked on the acceleration but the truck didn't move. With a snarl, Rorke unhooked his seatbelt and stumbled out of the cabin. Leaning against the side of the truck for support, he made his way to the back of the vehicle. His eyes widened at what he saw.

A giant hand, made of cobblestone, had grabbed onto the back of truck, keeping it in place. The hand was connected to an arm that appeared to have emerged from the sidewalk. "Oh for fuck's sake." Dreyfuss muttered as he came up alongside Rorke. He too, had a gash on his forehead and appeared to be limping. In his right hand was a Colt M1877 revolver. They both turned to head back to the front of the truck.

"You know, if you wanted to make a quiet getaway, might I suggest calling a taxi next time. It's a whole lot more conspicuous than a large military styled truck barreling down the street with a machine gun in the back." Drawled an unknown voice.

Both Rorke and Dreyfuss turned quickly. Two feet away from the source of the giant arm stood a blond haired teenager in a red coat leaning casually against the wall of a building. He wore a silver lined black jacket under the coat, as well as black trousers and boots. His golden eyes stared at them with an almost bored expression.

"Who the fuck are you kid?" Dreyfuss growled as he aimed his revolver at the teenager.

Edward Elric's monotone look never broke as he glanced at the pistol. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But personally I think you should be more concerned about the guy behind you."

"Wha-AGH!" Dreyfuss was struck from behind and crumpled to the cobblestone street. Rorke whirled around and blanched at the large figure in front of him. Before him stood a tall figure in a large suit of armor. The armor joints creaked as the giant turned towards Rorke.

"You know it's not nice to steal." The armored man reprimanded him in a childish voice. "Or to point guns at my brother."

"Brother…?" Rorke turned to run and saw the blond alchemist charging him. Quickly he pulled his own pistol from his belt and aimed it at the teen.

Ed stopped in his tracks two feet from the armed criminal. Reacting quickly, he kicked his right leg up in a roundhouse kick, knocking the weapon from the man's hand. Ed landed back on his feet. Rorke didn't have any time to react before Ed brought his right hand back and slammed his fist into the older man's face. The thud of metal hitting flesh sounded before the robber fell back unconscious.

"That was for the soldier you wounded." Ed muttered darkly as he stepped over Rorke. "Thanks for the assist, Alphonse." He looked up at his younger brother.

"You're welcome, brother." The younger Elric sibling said. "Nice kick."

"Yeah it was." Ed grinned cockily as the sirens of approaching military vehicles grew closer. "I've been wanting to try that for a while."

"You've been wanting to roundhouse kick a gun out of someone's hand for a while?" Al asked dryly.

"Hey it looked cool." Ed defended.

"I'm surprised that you didn't just grab the gun." Al commented.

"Huh?"

"Well usually, when someone's pointing a gun at you, you'll block the gun's barrel with your automail hand and cause it to backfire." Al said, the brow of his helmet was raised slightly. "That ways easier yet you didn't do it."

Ed's cocky grin faltered a little and a small blush appeared on his face. "Well…I thought about doing that but…"

"But what?" Al asked teasingly. Around them military cars parked and soldiers began to emerge.

"I...uh...didn't want to damage my automail." Ed mumbled, looking away from Al. Silence followed before Ed looked up and saw Al staring at him with what he guessed was a shocked expression.

"What?" He asked defensively.

Al seemed to break out of his shock and rubbed the back of his helmet. "Nothing, it's just nice to see you're finally listening to Winry."

Although he would never admit ,even under torture, Ed's heart always skipped a beat at the sound of her name. His face immediately began to heat up as images of his childhood friend and automail mechanic flashed through his brain. Her long blond hair flowing in the calm Resembol air as the sun illuminated it into a halo. And another of when she was hunched over her automail bench covered in grease yet still managing to somehow look cute.

"W-well, I uh, I um, guess that all those damned wrenches finally left some kind of impact." He stuttered before regaining his composure.

Al's helmet cocked to the side. "Brother are you okay? You look like you're overheating."

"No! I mean…I'm fine. It's uh nothing. Just…forget it." Ed muttered before walking away.

Al watched him walk away and shook his head. "Oh brother." He mumbled.

Meanwhile Ed was having some sort of strange internal argument with himself. 'Stupid Al poking his nose where it doesn't belong.' He stopped walking and stood there, absorbed in his thoughts. 'Well to be fair, he wasn't actually accusing me of anything and was just being concerned. But why was I was acting up in the first place?! All I was doing was thinking about Winry….Oh no.'

Suddenly another image of Winry flashed through his head. This time she was smiling at him with that smile that always seemed to brighten his mood, her azure colored eyes were sparkling in the sunlight.

'Aaaahhhhh!' Ed grabbed handfuls of his hair in an effort to clear his mind. Why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

"Major Elric sir?"

Ed turned to see a young soldier standing awkwardly a few feet away. It looked like that he had been trying to get Ed's attention for several moments.

"Yes?" He said more harshly than he meant.

"We need you to fill out the arrest forms sir. Standard procedure." The soldier motioned behind him to where all the criminals were now conscious and in cuffs.

"Oh yeah, uh, right." Ed ran a hand through his hair. The soldier rolled his eyes and turned around. Ed followed him but his thoughts still remained on a certain blond gearhead. 'These damn daydreams have got to stop. At first they were…interesting, but now they're a real pain in the ass! Agh, since when did I start daydreaming about Winry?!'

Ed let out a sigh as he knew the answer to his own question. These daydreams, as he called them, had started ever since that night four months ago. The night that his relationship with Winry changed forever. A poorly conceived prank by Mustang's stooges had ended with Winry getting drugged with laced cookies. What had started off as an annoying inconvenience quickly turned into a slap in the face for Ed.

With the alcohol and drugs coursing through her system, Winry's mental filter had completely shut off. With no restraint at all, Winry had broken down and laid bare how much Al and his' absence affected her. Ed had known she didn't like them being away but hadn't realized how devastating their absences really were for her.

Ed remembered feeling like the biggest prick in the world at how much pain he had unintentionally caused his best friend. Even now, as he stood in the street mechanically filling out paperwork, the guilt still gnawed at him like a pack of rabid dogs. On that day, he had promised himself that he would fix his relationship with Winry.

'I guess that's when it changed.' Ed thought in his head. 'My opinion of Winry that is. Well it's not like she knows that it's changed. She was…uh drugged after all and didn't remember anything the next morning. But there's no way in hell she hasn't noticed that I've been more…careful since then.'

In the four months since the night of drunken confessions, as he liked to call it, Ed hadn't broken his automail once. Just one of his automail arms cost 10 million cenz to make, but the cost didn't really matter to him. Winry poured her heart and soul into every single inch of those arms. She really went out of her way to give him the best automail. Apart from being more considerate about her automail, Ed had also taken to calling Winry much more frequently than before.

Ed chucked at the memory of his first call to Winry, three and half months ago.

 ** _February 8. 1:05 p.m. Eastern City._**

Ed was sitting sidesway on the large hotel couch, the speaker of a phone held nervously in his hand. Al was down the hallway and out of earshot but that wasn't what concerned him. As he heard the phone being connected to Rush Valley, he grew more nervous about the upcoming conversation. Never before had he just called Winry simply to converse with her, but he didn't know what else to do. He had to fix the rift that had been unknowingly growing between them. On the morning after, a few weeks ago, he hadn't said anything to her about the specifics of what happened, just the general circumstance. By the time he'd worked up the courage to talk to her about it, Winry was on her way back to Rush Valley. And so now here he was, sitting on his couch, calling Winry out of the blue and having no idea what to say.

Eventually he heard a click as his call was finally connected.

"The is Studio Garfiel in Rush Valley. Winry Rockbell, assistant automail mechanic, speaking." Her voice sounded so professional that Ed couldn't help but chuckle.

"So I guess you're the receptionist now huh? Kinda seems like a step down from an automail assistant."

"Ed?" Her surprised voice came from the phone.

"Were you expecting someone else?" He spoke with as much smugness as possible.

He heard her give a sigh. "Not really I guess. So, uh, how are you Ed?"

"I'm good, how's your obsession with useless junk going." Ed grinned.

He heard her give a small growl. "Are you calling my work junk, you twerp?!"

"No, just the ones you don't make for me."

"Whatever." He heard her scoff before some of the anger left her voice. "So apart from from getting under my skin, why else have you called?...You've broken my automail haven't you!"

Ed sighed and shook his head. "Believe it or not Winry, my automail is fine."

"I don't believe you." She replied sharply.

Ed glanced at his metal limbs and flexed both of them. "Trust me, both my arm and leg are perfectly fine." He couldn't keep the prideful grin off his face.

There was a short pause before Winry spoke again, her voice laced with confusion. "Okay…if your automail is fine then why are you calling me?"

Ed chewed his bottom lip as his grip around phone tightened. Moment of truth. "I was…uh just calling to…um see how you're doing and…uh, you know, talk."

The silence that followed lasted for almost two minutes before she finally spoke.

"Who are you and what have you done with Edward Elric?"

Ed let out a laugh but also couldn't help the sting that he felt. Was she really that surprised? He felt his initial confidence return slightly.

"I have him locked in my basement. C'mon Winry can't I just call and say hi?"

"Sorry it's just…it's just unexpected." Winry sounded slightly flustered.

"Yeah I guess it would be unexpected. I…I've never really called you before, haven't I?" Ed's voice turned somber.

There was a pause before Winry gave an uneasy chuckle. "Are you finally admitting that I was right." Her voice was trying to keep the attitude cheerful and joking.

Ed sighed. "I guess I am Winry. I'm sorry it's taken so long." Ed's nervousness was gone, he wasn't going to hold back. Not any more.

"Ed you've called me before." It sounded like she was trying to slightly reassure him.

"Yeah but it was always about automail. Frickin hell, I've never checked in on you have I? I've never even checked if you're okay." His voice grew shaky as his eyes got misty. Fuck, the damn guilt was back and stronger than ever. It had been a few weeks, but still, he felt like he was back in his room with Winry yelling accusingly at him, calling him out for the things that he had done.

"Oh Ed…You've never needed to..." Winry began but Ed cut her off.

"Like two years ago. W-when you were kidnapped. I-I wasn't there for you. I didn't call you or anything!" He heard her gasp at the mention of the incident with Barry the Chopper. They had never truly spoke about it until now. "You're my best friend and…I'm sorry."

"Why are you saying this, are you okay? Did something happen?" Her voice trailed off sounding both confused and also concerned for him. What he had said was probably the last thing she had expected him to say.

"No…everything is okay, Winry. I just really wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."

Winry was once again silent for a moment before speaking again. Her voice was once again shaky but there was also a hint of happiness as well.

"Ed, I don't know what to say."

They talked for 16 more minutes before they decided to hang up. The conversation had been awkward and at some points forced, but both of them were glad that it happened.

 _ **June 12, 4:30 p.m. Eastern City.**_

But something else had changed besides the calls and the automail. Something much, much deeper. On that night he had seen Winry at her most vulnerable and he never wanted to see her like that again. His appreciation of her had grown into something else, something that he knew was beyond friendship. This wasn't a sudden change; he had, for a while now, known that his feelings for Winry were changing. He'd had a crush on her for almost a year, how could he not? Winry had been him and Al's most loyal friend since they were children. She had always stuck by him, no matter how crazy Ed drove her or vise versa. Every time he needed automail, she was there for him. She was kind and sweet, but also wasn't afraid to speak her mind or kick someone's ass.

Sometimes he wondered if it was more than just a crush. She was no longer the little grease monkey who him and Al had played with as children.

"Brother…brother?"

Ed shook from his flashback and looked down at the papers in front of him, seeing that they were all filled out. Ed sighed and turned towards Al. "Yes Al?"

Al gave him a deadpanned look. "You were doing it again."

"Yeah I know." Ed mumbled before handing the arrest forms to a waiting officer.

"Have you thought about drinking coffee?"

"Coffee?"

"Breda told me that it helps him stay focused." Al said.

Ed shook his head and then surveyed the crime scene. The street had been closed off by military personnel who were keeping the civilians back. The gang of criminals were being escorted into a prison van as another truck was being used to load the stolen cenz.

"Well Al, it would appear our work here is done. C'mon I'm tired." Ed turned to walk to their apartment.

"Actually brother there's still the same reports that you have fill out, and a report on the incident itself. Also a soldier was shot so you have to mention that as well." Al informed his brother sheepishly.

"God dammit!"

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 _ **June 12, 8:25 pm. Rush Valley.**_

"C'mon…got it!"

Winry sat back on her stool and used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead. In front of her was a large automail arm. The metal limb consisted of a hand, wrist, forearm, and bicep. It belonged to a factory worker whose original left arm had gotten caught in a gear three years ago. He had brought it in earlier that afternoon complaining that the gears and screws were too tight. Winry had spent the last hour loosening the screws to a satisfactory degree. She had just finished with fixing the final screw.

'Another day, another piece of automail.' Winry thought to herself as she washed her oil stained fingers in a nearby sink. As the water washed away the black smudges, the blonde mechanic glanced out of her window. Several miles away were storm clouds that were drawing closer, but that wasn't what grabbed Winry's attention.

'Wow is it that late already!' Winry thought as she could see the sun setting over the mountains in the distance. She wiped her wet hands on her grey work overalls. 'That arm took me a lot longer then it should have. I guess I was more tired than I thought.' The last several days had been rather hectic for Winry as customers and requests had been pouring in every day.

Winry chewed her bottom lip. 'How much sleep did I get last night? Five…four hours max? I need a vacation.' She joked as she began to put away her assortment of tools and scrap metal.

'Crap look at this mess.' She grumbled to herself as she surveyed her rather untidy workspace. 'It looks like Ed was here.'

Suddenly the ringing of a phone sounded from down the hallway. It was followed by Garfiel calling out for Winry to get it. Moving quickly Winry rose from her stool and exited the backroom. As she neared the front desk, Winry could could feel a small tinge of excitement building up in her stomach. She reached the phone and held the ear-piece to her head.

"This is Studio Garfiel in Rush Valley. Winry Rockbell, assistant automail mechanic, speaking." She rehearsed the greeting, hoping to hear his voice.

"Hello Winry, this is Marcus Ryan. I brought my arm into your shop a few hours ago."

Winry felt herself deflate and some disappointment creep into the back of her mind. "Yes, hello Marcus. I actually just finished with it a minute ago."

"Oh that's great."

Winry sat down on a nearby chair. "Yes it's ready for pickup whenever you are ready."

There was a pause. "Um…actually I can't pick it up tonight. How about around noon time tomorrow?"

"Um…" Winry reached over and grabbed a schedule of clients for the next week. "Yes, that should be fine. But are you sure you don't want to pick it up today?"

"Well I was going to, but…something's come up. I think I can survive one night without my left arm." He said with a chuckle.

Winry bit her lower lip. "Alright then, I'll have your arm ready for you tomorrow.

"Okay, I'll see you then, Winry." Marcus said cheerfully before he hung up. Winry put the ear-piece and frowned slightly. Marcus' voice had sounded kinda strange, as if he was sick or something.

'Well he does work in a mine.'

Deciding that it was probably nothing Winry hopped of the chair and walked back to her work room. As she passed an open door she heard her boss' feminine voice.

"Were you hoping for someone else?" Mr. Garfiel asked as he leaned against the doorway. "Namely a blond, golden eyed, not to mention, handsome state alchemist? Hmm?"

Winry's cheeks turned pink as she almost tripped over herself. "I…I don't know you're talking about Mr. Garfiel." She stuttered as she avoided any eye contact.

"Don't give me that, honey." Garfiel chastised her. "You wanted it to be Edward on the phone didn't you?"

At that Winry turned to glare at Garfiel. "Okay so what if I was hoping Ed would be the other line? He's my friend and it would be nice to hear from him." Winry spoke defensively and put her hands on her hips.

Garfiel chuckled at Winry's defensiveness. "Yes I guess there is nothing wrong with wanting to hear from your boyfriend."

Winry's eyes widened and her face went from pink to beet red. "B-b-boyfriend!" She stuttered. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh Winry, you poor thing." Garfiel sighed and shook his head with a smile.

Winry, already flustered enough, turned back to her workroom. I-If you'll excuse me sir, I have work to do."

At this Garlfiel's face softened and he straightened up. "Winry, how long have you been working today?"

"Uhhh…a few hours, why?"

"Try eight and a half. That's more than enough work for one day."

"But Mr. Garfiel…" Winry protested.

"Go upstairs and get some sleep. Goodness knows you could use some." Garfiel said with a wink. "I'll call you down when it's time for supper. Till then get some rest, you've been working hard all week and deserve a break."

"Yeah I guess a nap would be nice." Winry mumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck. Closing the door to her workroom, she then made her way upstairs to her bedroom. But as she moved, her thoughts were elsewhere.

'He's right, I was hoping Ed would be on the phone. Which is ridiculous and unrealistic. I mean he can't call me everyday right?' Winry thought to herself. 'Ugh…Ed calls me a couple times and now I can't think straight.' She sighed as she entered her room and closed the door behind her.

But to be honest, Winry was overjoyed at the fact that Ed was being more…talkative and open with her. For the last four months he had called her many times, roughly two to three times a week. It wasn't even about his automail, which to her shock hadn't been broken in any of that time. Ed often called her simply to check on how she was doing and talk about her week. The frequent calls had stated ever since…that night.

'Oh god how could I forget?' Winry groaned. She only had vague memories of what transpired that night. But from what Ed had told her she'd been drugged by a prank that had been meant for him. She had woken up the next morning with a splitting headache and no memory of what had happened. Ed had told her that he'd found her in a drunken state in his hotel room.

'Ugh I thought I was going to die from embarrassment! At least Ed didn't tease me about it, which was…odd.' Winry mused to herself as she unzipped her overalls and shimmied out of them. Stepping out, Winry was clad in a simple pair of tan cargo shorts and a black tank top. 'I guess I can sleep in this.' She thought before turning back to Ed.

'I must have said something on that stupid night. Something to make Ed act so different and well…nicer. But what the hell did I say?! He wouldn't tell me anything the next morning and he's been annoying vague about it.' Winry cursed to herself as she folded her overalls and placed them on a drawer. 'Not that I'm complaining though. I-I just never knew he cared so much.' Her cheeks blushed.

When Ed had first called her, they had talked about the Chopper incident. Ed had apologized profusely for what had happened and for his 'negligence' of her after the the incident. He didn't need to, she had never held that against him. Winry blushed even more as she thought about how much Ed had babbled about how sorry he was and how he wasn't appreciative enough of her.

'I guess the constant lecturing and head bashing finally got through to the pip squeak. I guess Edward Elric is finally maturing.' She thought happily before her thoughts took a different turn.

'Mental maturity aren't the only recent changes he's had?' Said a voice in the back of her head.

'Well in the last few months he has gotten taller, I guess, and he has…filled out more.' Winry's face turned bright red and she fell back on her bed with her hands tangled in her blonde hair. 'Damn puberty, and damn it for making Edward hot!'

The blond mechanic had long ago realized that her feelings towards Edward had moved beyond friendship. 'Why did I have to fall for him of all people?' Winry sighed before answering her own question. 'Because he's one of the most stubborn, selfless, and caring people that I've ever met. He cares about the people who are close to him and will do anything to protect them. He puts everyone else's problems ahead of himself and doesn't give himself nearly enough credit. He values human life highly despite being in the military and he tries to always do what is right.' She ran a hand through her hair. 'Ed can be a real dumbass, but he's really one of the smartest people I know. Maybe even the smartest that I know. And despite him having to leave all the time; he always does comes back…it's taken me a while to see that last part.'

Winry was now laying back on top of her bed; staring up at the ceiling. 'But…how do I tell him? Should I even tell him? How would he react? Well it's Ed, he probably doesn't even feel the same and he'd freak out. Or we'd be super awkward around each other and our entire friendship will be ruined!'

Winry let out a groan and rolled onto her side. 'But…I guess he deserves to know. It wouldn't be fair if I just pushed all this under the rug; phhff not that I could.'

A loud clap of thunder in the distance startled Winry from her thoughts. With a sigh she hopped off the bed and crossed the room to her window. When Winry reached it, she poked her head outside. The sun was setting over the mountains in the distance, but there were also large thunder clouds approaching Rush Valley.

'I hope everyone get's their stuff inside before all the metal gets rusted.' Winry sighed before closing her window and returning to her bed. She plopped down on the mattress and closed her eyes. But as she began to drift off, her thoughts remained on Ed.

'I think I will tell him.' She thought optimistically in her head. 'One day. Maybe when they no longer have to search for their bodies. And maybe…he'll love me back.'

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 _ **June 12, 8:32 p.m. Eastern City.**_

"You know when Mustang came to Resembool and asked me to be a State Alchemist; he forgot to mention all the damn paperwork that goes into it!" Ed barked.

Alphonse merely nodded as he patiently finished his own paperwork of the arrests. He had stopped listening to his brother's complaining a while ago.

Ed continued to run his mouth as he wrote. "This is why being on the road is better than being stuck in the city. Nobody makes us do paperwork out there."

After a little while. "There!" Ed proclaimed as he threw his pen on the table. "I'm done. Let's get out of here Al." With that he rose from the table and began to walk away. Al meanwhile stacked his paperwork neatly before doing the same for Ed's and handing them to a nearby receptionist.

"You comin Al?" Ed asked, looking back.

"Coming Brother." Al said as the large suit of armor caught up to his older brother. The two Elric siblings then started to make their way out of Eastern Command. As they neared the lobby, they suddenly heard someone calling Edward's name.

"Major Elric? Major Elric sir?"

Ed turned around to see a communications operator running towards them. The slightly out of breath young man reached them while Ed waited impatiently.

"Something you need?" He asked and got lightly elbowed by Al.

"Sir, there is a call for you from Col. Mustang in Central." The operator told him.

Ed let out a long suffering groan "Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm sorry sir, but it's urgent. If you'll come with…"

"Okay, okay let's see what the bastard needs." Ed sighed and followed the operator.

"What do you think the Colonel wants, brother?" Al asked as they walked back down the long hallways.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good for me."

The operator led the two brothers to a phone booth and handed the device to Ed.

"What do you want Mustang? I was just about to turn in." He spoke into the phone.

"Fullmetal." Came the Colonel's deep voice from the other end. "About time, I've been trying to reach you all day. Now listen som…"

"And this couldn't have waited until tomorrow?" Ed drawled as he sat down on a nearby chair.

Mustang's voice grew serious. "Edward, this isn't the time for your immaturity. Barry the Chopper has escaped from prison and is currently on the loose!"

"What!" Ed shot to his feet, causing Al to jump in surprise. "How?! When?!" He shouted into the phone, his voice echoing down the hallway.

Mustang sighed. "I don't know all the details yet. Apparently his execution date was set for today. As the guards were moving him from his cell, he got out of the cuffs by apparently dislocating his thumbs." His voice then got angry. "Those idiots only had two guards escorting him, they knew what he was capable and…" Mustang trailed off as he regained his composure.

Ed felt the phone slip from his fingers and fall to the ground. He could barely hear Alphonse calling his name and shaking his shoulder. All he could think about was that he had escaped.

Barry the Chopper.

A demented sociopath who had brutally slaughtered twenty three women, including his own wife. He was one of the few men to have ever outsmarted Ed, catching him off guard. After his arrest, the serial killer was sent to a prison outside of Central. It was considered to be the Fullmetal Alchemist's first major achievement.

'But it almost cost me and Winry our lives.' Ed let out a breath as he felt something that he hadn't felt in awhile; terror.

'That was it. The closest I've ever come to being killed. Not even anything at Milos came as close as that. He had me without my right arm, I couldn't do alchemy. He cut me so many damn times, I was fucking helpless! Winry was helpless! It was only through sheer luck that we made it out alive.' Suddenly fear was replaced by a burning rage and anger.

"Ed?...Ed!"

Ed shook out of his thoughts as Al shook his shoulder harder. He blinked several times before turning to his concerned little brother.

"Brother, what is it? What's wrong?" Al asked.

"Barry the Chopper escaped from prison." Ed mumbled hearing Al gasp before he picked the phone off the ground. He held it to his ear as Al leaned in so he could listen as well.

"Colonel, you still there?"

"Yes Edward. I want you and Alphonse back in Central by tomorrow morning." Ed began to protest but Mustang continued. "And I know you'll say that you can handle yourself. I don't care. I want you two on the first train to Central."

Ed sighed and leaned against the phone booth. "Do we have any idea where he could be?"

Mustang sighed. "No, he escaped from Central prison about five days ag-"

"FIVE DAYS!" Ed shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. "Why the fuck am I only hearing about this now?!"

"Don't get angry at me, I was only informed this morning. Damn idiots the lot of them. Anyway, I fear that he might come after you for revenge. So-"

Suddenly Ed's face paled, all the color leaving him at once. His throat instantly went dry and his breathing came out in pants. 'No…he wouldn't.' Ed's heart was beating so loud that hurt his head.

"I'm going to call you back Colonel." He spoke rapidly.

"Fullmetal don't do any-" Ed hung the phone up and stumbled back out of the phone booth. He could feel a cold sweat starting to form all over his body.

"No no no no no!" He muttered, his hands meshing in his long golden hair.

"What now?" A concerned Al asked.

Ed turned towards his brother, Al stepped back in shock at the look of utter panic on the young Alchemist's face.

"Winry!"

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 _ **June 9, 4:50 pm. Resembool train station and post office.**_

It was 4:50 p.m. as Gavin Reynolds was about to head home at the end of shift. The tired 63 year old man had had little sleep the previous night and couldn't wait to get home. As he was stepping out from behind the desk, the phone on the wall suddenly rang. The old man stopped and let out an annoyed groan before shuffling over to the phone. It continued to ring irritatingly until he grabbed it.

"Yeah what do you want?" He grumbled into the phone.

There was a pause before a strange, slightly high pitched voice spoke. _"Hello my good sir. Have I called at a bad time?"_ The man asked with a girlish giggle.

"Not really." Gavin sighed before regaining his composure. "How can I help you?"

The voice spoke quickly. _"Well you see, I'm calling from Central City with a message for a Ms. Winry Rockbell."_

Gavin raised an eyebrow. "A message?"

 _"Yes, it is from a Edward Elric regarding his automail. Apparently he damaged it badly and is unable to travel to Resembool for repairs. I am a communications operator at Central Command you see. I called the Rockbell residence but her grandmother informed me that she wasn't there. For whatever reason she wouldn't tell me where her granddaughter is. Guess some people just don't trust the military. Anyway, I really need to talk with her; it's quite urgent."_

Gavin sighed, he really wanted to get home. "Fine, um, Ms. Winry is currently staying in Rush Valley. She opened up a new mailing address there, do you want it?"

If Gavin had been paying more attention he would have heard the man on the other phone's reaction. The unknown male let out a breath that almost sounded like a pleasured groan and a dark chuckle left his lips.

 _"Yes, I would like that very much."_

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 _ **June 12, 8:24 p.m. Rush Valley.**_

A one armed man, in a five room two floor house, was putting on his jacket when he heard a knock on his door. Frowning slightly, the 30 year old man walked to his door and opened it.

A tall, skinny man with short yellow hair stood in the doorway. His figure was adorned in gloves and a large black trench coat. His mouth was set in a twisted grin while his small, lifeless black eyes shown with malicious intent on his feminine face.

 _"Hello Mr. Ryan."_ The unknown man spoke in a serpentine voice.

Marcus Ryan swallowed nervously as he watched the stranger with unease. "Um hello, c-can I help you?"

The man's grin grew and his small eyes suddenly widened in excitement. _"Yes, you can."_

Suddenly the stranger lunged forward, knocking Marcus to the ground, while closing the front door behind him. The one armed man hit the hardwood floor with a pained cry, his leg hitting the table and knocking over the lamp. His eyes closed in agony before he opened them to see the stranger standing above him. A shiny, metal meat cleaver in his gloved hand, his eyes wide and crazy. The upturned lamp casted dark shadows over his face. The man let out a giggle before swinging the cleaver down. Marcus didn't even have enough time to scream before the cleaver was embedded in his forehead.

Barry the Chopper wrenched the bloody cleaver out of the corpse with a squelching sound. Moving quickly he grabbed the body and dragged it into the nearest bathroom. Once he had deposited the dead body in the bathtub he paused to look down at his work. Pitiful little man, he didn't even scream.

Disappointing.

He returned to the living room. Spying a phone off to the side, he grinned and walked over to it. The serial killer then pulled a small paper with a certain phone number on it from his pocket. He chuckled and took a seat in Marcus' armchair. He looked at the line of blood leading towards the bathroom as he began to dial the numbers. Once he had finished, the killer waited patiently as the phone connected. While he waited, Barry remembered what Marcus Ryan's voice sounded like. He was pretty certain that he could replicate it. Thunder clapped in the distance before the phone clicked as it was picked up on the other end.

"This is Studio Garfiel in Rush Valley. Winry Rockbell, assistant automail mechanic, speaking."

Her voice was still the same. Still so sweet and innocent.

Perfect.

 _"Hello Winry, this is Marcus Ryan. I brought my arm into your shop a few hours ago."_

While it wasn't the best impersonation that he'd ever done, it was good enough to fool her.

"Yes, hello Marcus. I actually just finished with it a minute ago."

It worked! The poor, innocent little lamb.

 _"Oh that's great."_

"Yes it's ready for pickup whenever you are ready."

 _"Um…actually I can't pick it up tonight. How about around noon time tomorrow?"_

"Um…Yes, that should be fine. But are you sure you don't want to pick it up today?"

 _"Well I was going to, but…something's come up. I think I can survive one night without my left arm."_

"Alright then, I'll have your arm ready for you tomorrow." Came her reply.

 _'Poor little Winry_.' He smirked. _'Always too trusting for her own good.'_ He remembered how willingly she had gotten into his meat truck. It was so easy. Tomorrow he would get his little lamb back. As he sat there he could remember her deep azure colored eyes, long blond hair, and soft fragile skin.

Oh, her skin.

Long had he dreamed about slicing her tender flesh and hearing her screams fill the air like a beautiful melody.

She would be the perfect bait.

 _"Okay, I'll see you then, Winry."_ He said cheerfully before putting the phone back on its receiver.

He sat in the armchair, smiling. The distant sounds of thunder closing in.

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 **Might as well mention that this story will get pretty messed up. Please review and tell me your thoughts.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for your positive feedback. I'm glad to see that you all are excited for this story.**

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"Come on! Come on! Come onnnn!"

Edward Elric smashed his automail fist against the wall, cracking the plaster. His other hand held the telephone as he tried for the third time to call Garfiel's automail shop. But like the first two times, it failed to connect.

"God Dammit!" Ed slammed the phone down with so much force that the device nearly shattered. Nearby, Al stood watching helplessly as his brother panicked in front of him. Edward turned to his younger brother, his eyes wide and fearful.

"Why won't she pick up? Why isn't anyone picking up?!." He shouted at no one in particular.

'Five days! Five days! That's how long that psycho has been out. Shit shit! What if he's gotten to her already? Christ, what if he's hurt her? What if…?'

Al reached forward and grabbed Ed by the shoulders. "Brother you need to calm down. Panicking and freaking out like this is not going to help Winry. Now there could be other reasons for why no one's answering the phone. Besides, how could the Chopper possibly know that Winry is in Rush Valley?" Al too was disturbed by the lack of response from the phone, but someone had to calm Edward down.

Ed's breathing still came out in pants for several moments until they started to slow down. "I'm sorry Al, it's just...the only reason Winry was ever kidnapped by Barry was because she was visiting us. We weren't talking to her so she came to surprise us. And now he's escaped and she's in danger again! I couldn't keep Winry safe back then, what if..what if I can't do it again? If anything ever happened to her because of me...I don't know what I'd do!"

Al's red eyes softened with sympathy as could only imagine the turmoil that his older brother was experiencing.

"Major Elric!"

The two brothers turned to see the communications operator running out of the back room. "I was able to get into some contact with people near the Rush Valley area. Apparently the region is experiencing severe thunderstorms and several telephone lines were knocked down less than an hour ago." He explained.

"See brother." Al said in a positive voice. "It's just a phone line problem. I'm sure she's fine."

Ed let out a sigh of relief as tension visibly left his body. But he still looked unconvinced. "Al what time is it?"

Al glanced at a clock down the hallway. "It's 8:35 P.M. brother. Why?"

Ed chewed his upper lip before a look of determination crossed his face. "Until I know that Winry is safe. I'm not going to relax. So if we can't call her then we're going go get her. Come on Al, we can still catch a train to Rush Valley and be there by midnight."

"Uh...sir?"

Ed turned back to the operator impatiently. "Yes?"

"I probably should also mention that because of the storms and heavy rainfall. All trains to Rush Valley have been cancelled until tomorrow afternoon." He said hesitantly.

Ed's jaw dropped, weird choking sounds came out of his mouth. "Are you kidding me?!"

"I'm afraid not." The man said solemnly.

Ed let out a shaky breath and ran a hand through his hair. "W-we can take a carriage. It'll take us till morning to get there but that's better than waiting."

"Brother, are you sure that you're not, uh, overreacting." Al said carefully. The suit of armor then visibly gulped when Ed fixed him with a vicious glare.

"Listen here Alphonse. The...man who tried to murder Winry has escaped from prison. She has no idea that he's out there. That bastard has been free for five days, and five days is enough time for him to find out where she is! I am not going to take any chances! Not when it comes to Winry. Her life may be in danger! So no, I'm not overreacting." With that, Ed turned on his heels and marched down the hallway. Al looked down at his feet in shame before hurrying after his older brother.

It took the Elric brothers half an hour to get to the outskirts of Eastern City then another 20 minutes to find someone who would take them close to Rush Valley. Ed payed the man whatever he wanted, not caring the price as long as he got them to Winry.

The two alchemists sat in silence as they bounced on the bumpy road. The driver had attempted small talk but was silenced with a glare from Ed. He had since then focused on the road and hummed several tunes to himself. The Fullmetal Alchemist meanwhile sat in a grim, serious silence. Concern and guilt was evident on his face as he stared at the empty space in front of him.

"She'll be alright brother. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." He heard Al say reassuringly.

Ed lifted his head to look at Al. "I'll believe that only when all three of us are on our way back to Central!"

"Do you think she'll come with us?"

"She will." Ed sighed sadly. He wasn't looking forward to her reaction when he'd tell that Barry the Chopper was after her. His fist clenched as the image of her beautiful eyes widening in fear.

Ed found himself thinking back to when he encountered Barry. When he had fought Barry all those years ago in the butcher shop, he'd been terrified. He came close, so close to killing that madman right then and there. If Al hadn't stopped him, he would've stabbed the serial killer to death. After the incident Ed had been glad that Al had stopped him from taking a life. But now Barry was out! He had already killed two other people, men with families. And now Winry's life was once again in danger.

'Maybe Al shouldn't have stopped me...shit here I am talking about how I should have killed someone. If I had killed him, it would have fucked me up big time. Hell I was thirteen for crying out loud.' Ed thought to himself. 'But what will I do now?'

Both of his fists clenched. 'I'll do anything in my power to protect Winry. If that bastard tries to hurt her; if he harms a single hair on her head. I'm going to kill him!'

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 _ **11:30 a.m. Rush Valley.**_

"I'll be back soon Winry. Try not to burn down the shop while I'm gone." Garfiel called as he walked out the front door, with a backwards wave to the aforementioned girl.

"Ha ha." Winry muttered dryly as she finished descending the stairs and into the shop. Once on the ground level she stretched and rolled out all the nicks in her back. Her work schedule was pretty light that day which allowed her to sleep in far later than she usually did. She had woken up 20 minutes earlier and had changed into her usual attire of a white tank top and black skirt.

With a yawn Winry walked down the hallway into a room that served as a sort of kitchen. 'Okay what will we have today.' Winry mused to herself as she began opening shelves. 'Cereal sounds good.'

Winry grabbed a box of cereal, a bowl, and a carton of milk before sitting down at a table in the middle of the room. She hummed to herself as she poured the cereal into the bowl before adding the milk. As Winry watched the white liquid fill the bowl, she couldn't help but think about a certain boy who held her heart.

'I will never understand his stupid hatred of milk. Okay, I know that it doesn't have a real taste but that's not necessarily a bad thing. When it's cold, it's very refreshing. Yet every time I try to make Edward drink it, he freaks out. I'm not trying to poison him for crying out loud!' Winry sighed to herself before she dipped her spoon into the bowl and began to to eat her breakfast.

Several minutes went by in silence before she glanced at a nearby clock.

'Oh my, it's 11:50 already. I better get ready for Mr. Marcus.'

Winry wiped her mouth with her hand and stood up from the table. She placed her bowl in the nearby sink and cleaned it out. Once Winry was done she placed the bowl on a tray with other cleaned plates and bowls. Satisfied with her work she turned and exited the room. She needed to get her tools ready and make sure Marcus' arm was clean before-

" _Hello Winry_."

Winry froze. A man was standing in the hallway. He wore almost all black, his figure was tall and imposing. But that wasn't the most frightening part of the sudden situation, the scariest thing was that she knew this man.

"No...not you." Winry whispered, her eyes widened and her body began to tremble. It wasn't possible, this couldn't be happening! Ed had told her that this man was in prison and currently on death row. Yet here he was; standing in front of her. The man who had kidnapped and terrorized her. The man who had hurt Edward. The man who had tried to murder her.

Barry the Chopper.

His black eyes were wide and filled with excitement, his eyelids twitching. His mouth was set in a demented grin. He looked like a rabid animal, a predator, that was about to devour its prey.

" _Oh I'm sorry to tell you this, my lovely little lamb. But I am indeed here."_ His voice was still the high pitched hiss that she remembered. " _My goodness, has anyone ever mentioned that you look so pretty when you're about to cry."_

Winry felt a sob building in her throat as reality finally hit her. It hit her like a runaway train. She was here, alone, with a mass murderer. Winry did the only thing she could do, she turned and ran like her life depended on it. Which it did.

" _Winry come back here!"_ His voice shouted after her. He sounded excited that she was running, that he could run her down like the terrified prey that she was.

Winry tore down the hallway, whipping around the corner and running to the back door. 'I got to get out! Gotta get out! If he catches me then...oh god!' She practically slammed into the back door in her rush to escape. She stepped back and began twisting the doorknob frantically.

It wouldn't open.

'What the fuck! No no no no!' She panicked. Tears formed in her eyes as the door still refused to open; no matter how hard she pulled. She could hear his loud footsteps echoing off the walls as he chased after her.

" _It won't open Winry. You might as well accept your fate."_ His voice shouted as he closed in.

'Oh god. Please! Not like this!' Winry began to slam her fists against the door.

"Help! Help! Help me!" She screamed for someone, anyone, to hear and come help her.

Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her roughly, covering her mouth. Another arm wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms as well. She bit down as hard as she could on his hand but he was wearing thick gloves. The madman pulled her away from the door and back into the hallway. Winry struggled, kicked, clawed, and bit in an effort to get away. But it was no use, his grip was literally crushing the life out of her.

'No! Not again. Please oh god someone help me.'

Winry froze when she felt him lower his head into the crook of her neck. She could feel his filthy breath against her skin, goosebumps formed in its wake. " _Please don't struggle my little lamb. At least not yet."_ He then inhaled her scent. " _You smell all nice and clean. Perfect."_

Winry couldn't control the tears that leaked from her eyes or the sobs that shook her body. She was helpless, trapped in the harsh arms of a psychopath. "Pl-please d-don't do this." She whispered, not caring that she was begging to _him_.

" _Oh Winry, I'm not going to kill you now. That will come much, much later I'm afraid."_ His voice was like slime oozing down her back.

Suddenly she was thrown violently into the wall in front of them. She slammed into the hard surface before falling on the equally hard floor. Her head screamed in agony as her body throbbed in pain. She felt his hands grabbing her and flipping her onto her stomach. Winry's watery eyes were closed as she felt him straddle her waist. Her eyes opened to see a shiny piece of metal in front of her right eye. It was a knife.

" _Now...this is only going to hurt a lot."_ Barry chuckled as he raised his knife.

A moment later, screams filled the house.

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 _ **Two hours later.**_

Something was wrong.

Ed knew something was wrong the moment him and Al exited the carriage. The driver dropped them off half a mile away from Rush Valley. Ed had hit the ground running, taking off immediately. Al did his best to keep up but the mud created by the rain slowed him down. But Ed didn't notice that his brother wasn't next to him. All he could focus on was the clenching feeling of dread that was threatening to eat him alive.

It had filled Edward the moment his foot had touched the ground. A sheer, cold terror that crept into his very soul. He didn't know how, but Ed knew that Barry was here and Winry was in danger.

Edward ran down the wet, muddy road. It was close to noon and he could see the sun reflecting off the metal buildings in the distance. His breaths came out in pants and sweat began to form as he kept running.

"Gotta get there, gotta get there." He huffed as he ran as fast as he possibly could. Jumping over rocks and speeding through deep mud.

It took him about 15 more minutes to reach Rush Valley. Even then he didn't stop running. Ed's lungs were on fire and his legs were beginning to cramp. Yet he still kept going. He ran through the industrial city, past stores and vendors. He didn't stop until he rounded the corner onto the street where Garfiel's automail shop was. He finally stopped when he saw the soldiers in blue uniform outside the house and the yellow crime scene tape.

"Oh god." He gasped. "No!"

The rattle of metal behind him signaled that Alphonse had caught up. Al came to a complete stop next to his brother and gasped loudly at the sight before them.

"Brother…"

Edward didn't respond to his brother. Instead he took off running again towards the crime scene. As Ed neared the yellow tape, a soldier tried to stop him.

"Excuse me but no civilians are allowed back here." The man said; mistaking Ed for a civilian.

Ed had no time for this and whipped out his state alchemist watch before pushing past the soldier. He ran through the front door and saw Mr. Garfiel and Winry's friend Paninya standing with several soldiers. It looked like Mr. Garfiel was crying.

"Garfiel!" Ed shouted as he entered the shop. All eyes turned turned to him and Garfiel let out a gasp while Paninya sighed in relief.

"Oh Edward, thank god you're here!" The feminine man cried before turning back to the soldiers. "See, I was telling you the truth."

"What happened here?! Where's Winry?" Ed practically shouted as his eyes frantically searched for any sign of her.

Garfiel let out a choking sob while the soldiers exchanged glances. Ed's panic began to turn to frustration. "Where the hell is she!" He demanded.

One of the soldiers, a lieutenant, stepped forward. "Fullmetal, sir. I'm afraid that Ms. Rockwell is missing."

It was like all the air was sucked out of Ed's body at once. 'No no no, that bastard has Winry!'

Suddenly he heard Al's voice from behind him. "What do you mean missing?"

"Gone! Taken!" Garfiel sobbed into a tissue. "I came back from some errands and found the house empty. The neighbors told me they heard someone screaming and then I found...I found…" He trailed off.

Ed fought to keep his composure. "Found what?"

The lieutenant turned to one of his subordinates and nodded. "Show him."

The soldier stepped forward holding a small cooler. He opened it and held it open for Ed to see.

Inside the cooler was a lot of ice. But in the center was a bloody plastic bag, and in that bag was a severed human finger.

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"Where...where am I."

Winry's eyes slowly blinked open as she groggily regained consciousness. Once that happened she quickly became aware of several things. One that she was sitting back against a wall in a dark, empty room. Second that her arms were suspended above her head. Third, that her left hand really, really hurt.

She cried out as agony tore through her body. Not only was the pain coming from her hand, but her head and stomach as well. It felt like a few of her ribs were fractured and there was a gash on her forehead.

'What happened? Where am I?' She thought as she tried to move but found that she was chained to the wall. Suddenly Winry remembered what happened back at Garfiel's shop. She remembered _him_.

'Barry the Chopper! He was there. Then that means...oh God!' She clenched her eyes shut. 'But he's suppose to be in prison? How did he get out? Why didn't Ed tell me that he had escaped?'

Winry began to frantically pull on the chains that bound her arms to the wall and her feet to the floor. But the movement only caused her more pain. Suddenly Winry froze as she felt something moving down her left arm, something warm and wet. She looked up and gasped; her hand was covered in dried blood. It was almost as if she was wearing a skin tight red glove. Longs lines of red liquid streamed down her arm, all originating from one single wound.

'My finger! He cut off my finger!'

Memories flooded Winry as she remembered Barry holding her down before proceeding to slowly cut off her pinky finger. She had passed out from the pain shortly after. Winry let out a sob as she once again tried to pull on her chains. But deep down, she knew that she had to get a hold of herself. Or else this shitty situation would just get even worse.

'It's just like that day! Two years ago. God Dammit, I let myself get kidnapped again.' Her breaths came out ragged before they slowed down. 'But I don't think Ed's coming this time.'

Ed!

Images of his beautiful golden hair and piercing eyes filled her head. 'Does he know I've been taken. Oh god, what if...what if I die here. What if I never see him again!'

Winry shook her head in an effort to expel the negativity. 'No, Garfiel's probably called Edward by now and he knows. Ed's going to come and find me. I know he will. But I just can't sit here and wait. Okay, okay. What would Ed do in this situation? Apart from using Alchemy, he'd remain calm and try to find a way out of this.'

Winry surveyed the room that she was being held in. It was a filthy, molding room with no furniture. The walls were covered in chipping grey paint. A single weak, flickering light was on the ceiling's center. She saw that her chains were attached to latches that were out of her reach. But they were tight enough to keep her from moving. Her arms were being pulled tightly above her head. While her legs were sprawled out in front of her. They two were chained as well. She could lift her legs slightly, but she couldn't stand up. Heavy manacles were around her wrists and ankles.

'If I could just get a loose screw or a hair pin. Something metal and and thin, then I might be able to get these cuffs off my hands.' She thought, looking above her.

Suddenly a voice from outside the room rang out. It sounded like it was coming from down a long hallway.

" _Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb."_

" _Mary had a little lamb,"_

" _His fleece was white as snow,"_

" _And everywhere that Mary went,"_

" _The lamb was sure to go, sure to go, sure to go."_

Winry's breath caught in her throat. It was him!

" _He followed her to school one day, school one day, school one day."_

" _He followed her to school one day,"_

" _Which was against the rule,"_

" _It made the children laugh and play, laugh and play, laugh and play."_

 _"It made the children laugh and play"_

" _To see a lamb at school."_

The voice grew closer as Winry could hear his footsteps getting louder.

" _And so the teacher turned it out, turned it out, turned it out."_

" _And so the teacher turned it out,"_

" _But still it lingered near,"_

" _And waited patiently about,"_

" _Till Mary did appear."_

Tears threatened to fall as Winry clawed at the manacles around her arms. 'There's got to be a loose screw, a crack, something!'

 _"Why does the lamb love Mary so? Mary so? Mary so?"_

" _Why does the lamb love Mary so?"_

" _The eager children cry."_

 _"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,"_

" _The teacher did reply._ "

He was outside the door.

The loud sound of metal moving alerted Winry that the door was being opened. With the click of a lock, the large door swung open revealing a grinning Barry the Chopper.

" _Rise and shine, my little lamb._ " His voice was like nails on a chalkboard. It sent chills down Winry's spine and caused goosebumps to break out.

Her response was something between a squeak and a whimper. "Where am I?"

His snake like grin grew as he entered the room, slamming the door behind him. Winry let out a gasp as she realized how helpless she was, trapped in a room with the man who had haunted her dreams.

" _Don't worry Winry."_ He spoke her name with such relish that Winry started to feel sick. " _We're still in Rush Valley. Well actually that's a lie, we're a few miles outside the city. That way we can have a more...intimate setting."_

Winry swallowed nervously. 'I don't see a knife on him, but he can still hurt me. I can't believe this is happening again!'

Barry began to walk forward towards her causing Winry to shrink back against the hard wall in panic.

"Stay back!"

Barry chuckled, his walk was slow and predatory. The flickering light flashes over his skeletal features before briefly plunging the room back in darkness. The light from the doorway outlined his dark silhouette before the flicker showed him to be even closer to her. Soon he stood merely three feet away, towering above her.

Winry trembled under his dark gaze, her mind wandered to that horrible day two years ago. Where Barry had threatened to take her apart and see what made her tick.

'No! I can't give into my fear. Not again.' Winry thought. 'What would Ed do in this situation? He wouldn't act afraid, he wouldn't give this psycho that satisfaction.'

" _You're wondering how I escaped prison, aren't you?"_ He asked.

"I-it did come to mind." She spoke just above a whisper.

" _It was so easy. All I had to do was get out of my handcuffs. A rather easy task once my thumbs were out of the way. After that I killed two men and walked out."_ He paused as he looked her up and down.

" _My, you've grown."_ Barry spoke with a chuckle. " _You're not the same naïve little girl who climbed into my meat truck are you."_

"You haven't changed at all." She spoke boldly, lifting her head defiantly. Last time she had met Barry, she'd been a cowering little girl. Not this time.

" _I'm so glad you noticed."_ He said before dropping to his knees in front of her.

Winry stiffened as they were both at eye level. She glared while he continued to grin, his smile sickening. " _Two years ago I had you chained just like this. I was just about to begin when we were interrupted."_

He reached into his coat and pulled a largw butcher's knife out. Winry's breath caught in her throat as he held the large knife out in front of him. The sharpened edge was pointed directly at her.

" _Tell me, my little lamb. Do you want to know what I was going to do to you?"_ Winry didn't respond or move as he continued.

" _Well, first I was going to start with your limbs."_ He began to drag the knife through the air in front of him. " _I'd cut you slowly, letting the blade merely graze your skin before penetrating you."_ He stopped cutting the air and pressed the flat end of the blade against her right thigh. Winry squirmed and tried to back further into the wall. Unfortunately this caused her skirt to bunch up, it was now riding high on her hips practically exposing her underwear. Barry eyed her exposed skin with a look that could only be described as joy.

" _Soon the incisions would get longer, deeper. I'd be careful not go too deep, we wouldn't want you bleeding out now would we. I'd sever all the tendons on you hands and feet. The other lambs always screamed loudly at this part, especially when I get to the Achilles' tendon. Hmm I wonder how you'd scream?"_

Barry then dragged the blade down Winry's outstretched leg. She bit her lip and struggled to remain still as the knife scraped her flesh. He brought the blade and pressed it sharply against her ankle. His excited grin grew, exposing twisted yellow teeth.

" _I've heard that if you sever the Achilles' tendons the pain is indescribable. You can't walk due to how much pain you're in. I've seen what happens to people once I sever it."_ He turned the knife so that the blade was pressed against the aforementioned tendon. Winry bit her upper lip so hard that it drew blood, her defiant demeanor was crumbling.

Suddenly Barry flicked the knife, piercing her skin. Winry let out a shriek as pain shot through her body.

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 **I'm starting to think I have a obsession with putting Winry in horrible situations. It's kind of disturbing. I don't hate Winry or anything, she's one of favorite FMAB characters.**

 **I should upload the third chapter within the next two weeks.**

 **Please Review and share your thoughts!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone. Thank you for your wonderful reviews. Please keep them coming.**

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Winry grinded her teeth as the knife ghosted over her stomach. She hissed as Barry flicked the blade, drawing more blood. She opened her tear filled eyes and saw a small trail of red dripping down her bare stomach. Her white tank top had been cut away, leaving her clad only in her black tube top and skirt. After only giving her ankle a slight flesh wound he had proceeded to cut her in several other parts of her body. Her arms, legs, and stomach were all covered in scattered cuts. All of them were bleeding, but none of them were deeper than half an inch. That didn't mean that they didn't hurt like hell. Years ago Winry had cut her hand on broken glass and it had really hurt. Now she felt a very similar pain all over her body.

There she was; chained, helpless, exposed. At the mercy of a man who had tried to kill her and was currently hurting her.

" _I'd finish by hacking at your neck until your head was completely removed."_ He finished his graphic description of how he'd violently murder Winry with a small cut on her shoulder. " _But you'd be dead at this point so that wouldn't really matter, my little lamb."_

'Why does he keep calling me that?' She inwardly sobbed before her heart dropped. 'Because he's right. I am a little lamb. A helpless lamb about to be slaughtered.' She was dragged out of her thoughts by fingers roughly grabbing her face and violently turning Winry to face her tormentor.

" _It's rude not to listen while someone's talking."_ His face had changed from an amused look to one of anger. " _And why aren't you begging? All the other lambs begged for mercy."_ Suddenly he shoved her head back into the hard wall, causing Winry to see stars. Her vision swam as pain exploded in the back of her skull. Somewhere in front of her, she could hear him standing up. His footsteps echoed as he stomped over to the door and the sound of a door slamming rang out.

Winry groaned as vision slowly turned to black. "Wh-what the hell?" She muttered before she lost consciousness

 **OoO**

* * *

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"And you have no idea where the Chopper could have taken Miss Rockbell?" Mustang asked into the phone. His tone was annoyed yet also serious.

"Uhhh...well no Colonel Mustang but we are following several leads." Came the nervous voice of Lieutenant Pence from the other line.

"Are any of them feasible?"

There was a pause before Pence spoke again. "No sir. This Chopper is very good, sir. He left almost no evidence at the scene...well except for the...uh finger. None of the neighbors saw him entering the house or leaving it with Miss Rockbell. To be honest Colonel, we've got very little to work with."

'Then do your damn job!' Mustang sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What else have you and your men done?"

"Well...we've put the city on lockdown and have become searching every warehouse or abandoned building in the city. I have every soldier on duty."

Mustang drummed his fingers on top of his desk. "And what about Fullmetal?"

"We..." Pence paused. "Don't know where he is."

"What!" Mustang barked.

"He ran off after learning that Ms. Rockbell had been taken." Pence said nervously. "We couldn't keep up with him."

"Find him, you idiot." Mustang growled. "He could be playing right into the Chopper's hands for all you know."

He ignored Pence's feeble "Yes sir." and slammed the phone down. The Flame Alchemist then turned to Hawkeye who was standing silently next to the deck. "Lieutenant, get us two tickets on the next train to Rush Valley. I want to be there as soon as possible."

Hawkeye nodded. "Yes sir." She then turned and quickly exited the office.

Mustang sat back into his chair with a heavy sigh. This was turning into a damn nightmare. First he learns that the notorious serial killer Barry the Chopper had escaped from prison five days ago. Then he calls the Elric brothers to warn them, only for Fullmetal to run off as Mustang expected he would.

But Mustang hadn't expected that the Chopper would target Winry Rockbell.

"I'm a fucking idiot." He muttered to himself. 'Of course the girl would be in danger. I should have sent soldiers to Rush Valley as soon as the Chopper had escaped.'

Mustang remembered the day that the Chopper had attacked Edward and Ms. Rockbell. He remembered how the poor young girl had trembled in fear while she'd been led out of the Butcher shop.

'I put a blanket around her and led her to an ambulance.' He recalled.

Mustang didn't know Winry Rockbell very well. He had only met her a handful of times. But during the Milos incident; he, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and her had traveled for several hours on their way to meet the Elrics. The girl had insisted on coming, despite the situation being possibly dangerous. He and Winry had talked for most of that time. The main topic had been Edward and Alphonse. He learned more about their difficult childhood and their close friendship with Miss Rockbell. Mustang had found her to be a smart, thoughtful, kind, and charming girl.

"And now she's in danger." Mustang sighed sadly. He remembered what the Chopper's victims had looked like. There was no telling what sort of horrors Winry was experiencing at the moment.

"Colonel?"

Mustang looked up to see Hawkeye at the door. "I've booked two tickets on the next train to Rush Valley sir. It leaves tonight."

"Good. Thank you lieutenant." Mustang said before frowning.

'Edward's in Rush Valley right now. His childhood friend has been kidnapped by one of his former enemies. I can't imagine what he must be going through.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed ran through the busy streets of Rush Valley, past vendors and their customers. He didn't care that he was bumping into people. He didn't care that he was kicking over baskets and boxes. All that he cared about was finding her.

He saw a fire escape up ahead and ran to it. He jumped and hoisted himself up so he could get a better look around. From his current position he could see the entire street. But it was the same as the last street, busy with nothing suspicious happening.

'Damnit I can't see anything. Fuck, there's gotta be something. God dammit!'

It was fucking useless. He was doing nothing but waste time, wasting Winry's time.

After being shown her finger Ed had gone into shock. That psycho had hurt her, made her bleed while he had done nothing to stop it. Once he had recovered, the lieutenant explained that Barry had left no clues on where he had taken Winry or if she was even still alive. He'd told Ed that they were searching the surrounding area, but had no sound leads. Ed had freaked out, screaming at the soldiers before running outside to look for Winry himself.

Ed swore loudly before jumping down from the fire escape. He took off running as soon as his feet had touched the ground. Somewhere, somewhere there was a clue to where Winry had been taken. He had to find it, he had to find her.

'I was too late.' Ed cried to himself. 'I was too late and now he has her. Oh god! What if he's hurting her right now? What if...what if he's killed her. No! No, she can't be dead. She can't be! I can still find her, I can still save her. I have to! I gotta save her. I gotta…I gotta tell Winry how much I care about her.'

Ed's pace faltered as despair began to seep into him. Eventually he stopped moving altogether and simply stood there in the street. 'What if she dies without knowing how I truly feel about her? What if she doesn't know that she isn't just my mechanic, that she isn't just my friend!'

"Brother!"

Ed whirled around to see Alphonse standing behind him. The two siblings stared at each other before Ed's head dropped. He felt tears pricking at his eyes.

"I don't know what to do Al." He almost sobbed. "She's out there, and _he_ has her."

"I know brother." Al hung his head as well. Usually he would try to say something positive, something to cheer Ed up. But now, with Winry having been kidnapped by a sadistic murderer. He simply had nothing to say.

"This is all my fault Al." Ed said.

Al raised his head to look at Ed.

"He took her to get back at me, he's...hurting her to get back at me." Tears were falling from Ed's eyes, surprising Al. He hadn't seen Edward cry in years.

"I...I don't know what to do." Ed said hopelessly. A long moment of silence passed before Al spoke.

"But you do know Barry the Chopper." He said.

"What?" Ed raised his head.

"Think back brother, he'd kill people in his butcher shop right? Where they were alone and no one else was there."

"Yeah." Ed said.

"Then he'd bring Winry to somewhere private. Where no one would disturb him. Like an old warehouse or something."

"Yeah but this is Rush Valley! There's got to be a hundred old warehouses in this damn city." Ed said exasperated.

"Then we better start looking." Came a voice from behind Al. A voice said from behind Al. A young woman with dark skin stepped out from behind the suit of armor.

"Paninya?"

The young girl looked as tense and nervous as Ed felt. "There's about 24 unused warehouses in Rush Valley. I heard the soldiers say that they were going to search them, but they're stretched too far. So it'll take them time."

Ed bit his upper lip. "Then we've got no time to lose." He straightened and faced Al and Paninya. "We should split up to cover more ground."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Al asked.

"No, but it's faster." Ed said. "Paninya, where are these warehouses?"

The metal legged girl frowned in concentration before pointing down the street. "If you keep going down this street you should find 8 of them all lined up. They're impossible to miss." She then pointed towards the eastern side of Rush Valley. "There's 10 more in that direction and 6 to the north. I'll take the 10 to the east."

Ed nodded "Thank you Paninya. I'll search the ones down this street. Al, you get the ones to the north."

"Okay." The younger Elric sibling said.

"Alright. If any of you find her be careful. Do not underestimate the Chopper at all!" Ed started to fill energy and hope come back into him. "Let's do this."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Her arms felt numb, the lack of blood flow was seeing to that. This was making it much harder to find a way out of thick manacles around her wrists. Her attempts to escape had resulted in bruised wrists and scraped skin. The fact that her arms were being suspended over her head made it harder to see any weakness on the metal clamps.

"There's always a way out." Winry muttered.

" _Usually there is, but not today."_

Winry jumped out of her skin and stared horrified at the room in front of her. Sure enough, Barry the Chopper was standing by the door. When did he come in?

Barry gave a sigh and rubbed his face. " _Oh I'm sorry about earlier. I simply don't know what came over me. Sometimes I just lose control._ " His feminine voice held no concern.

" _That happens to me often. I just lose control of myself. It happened with my wife. Tell me little lamb, do you remember what I said back in my butcher shop all those years ago?"_

Winry let out a shaky breath. "Y-you said that s-she was nagging you about something."

" _And?"_

"And f-for no reason at all, you killed her." Winry finished.

" _I hacked her to death with a meat cleaver. Just like that."_ He added. "And w _hen I saw how finely I could slice her, I wanted more. It was exhilarating. Reducing people to their most basic building block. It gave me power, a sense of joy that I had never felt before."_

Barry turned back towards her and crouched down again. " _I suppose it all goes back to my wife. I did only kill women who looked like her. They were the perfect specimens. She was very beautiful, like you Winry. Long blonde hair, a nice slender body, and eyes with a tint of blue."_ His coarse hand reached out and ghosted over the hem of her tube top. Winry gasped at the contact and shied away from him. His hand then once again roughly grabbed her face and turned her to face him. " _In fact you do rather look like her quite a bit. Hmm I wonder?"_

Suddenly his mouth was on her's, his teeth gnashing at her lips, his tongue forcing it's way in.

Winry's eyes widened and began to thrash against him in an effort to get his mouth off of hers. His disgusting tongue brutally shoved its way into her mouth. His teeth bit at her like a rabid dog, opening small gashes on her abused lips. Winry gave a muffled cry and clenched her eyes shut; waiting for it to be over. Why was this happening to her. Why doesn't he just end it already.

'No! I can't give up. Ed will find me, I know he will.' She inwardly sobbed.

After a few moments he pulled away from her. His hands stopped their bruising grip on her face. Winry gasped for breath as air filled her lungs. She weakly opened her eyes to look at Barry. He was sitting back, his mouth was covered with her blood. It was as he had messily tried to apply lipstick. His tongue darted out and began to mop up the red liquid. He twirled it around the outside of his mouth, collecting all of her blood.

" _Hmm."_ He said after a moment, his face had a thoughtful look. It was as if he was comparing two different wine brands. " _No, I'm sad to say you don't taste like her at all."_

Winry merely sat there watching him.

" _You taste even better."_

Winry couldn't hold it in anymore and began to fully cry. Tears flowed from her eyes onto her stomach, mixing with the bloody wounds on her belly.

Barry smiled proudly and stood up. " _As much as I would like to stay and spend more time with you. I have to leave. I hope you have noticed I've been kind to you so far, my little lamb. I could have chopped you to bloody pieces by now. But I won't get ahead of myself. Now I have to go and prepare for our guest of honor."_

Winry sniffled and raised her head. She glared at the man in front of her. A strange feeling filled her. It was a feeling of pure disgust and hatred. She hated this man. Winry had never wished death on another human being until Barry the Chopper had forced his way into her life. "Fuck you." She whispered. "You're not going to get away with this."

" _Not going to get away with this? But who will stop me?"_ Barry asked amused.

"Edward! Ed's going to find us and he's going to kick your ass again!" Winry spat.

Barry's grin was slow and positively shark like. " _It's funny that you mention that."_ He chuckled before leaving the room once again.

Winry sat in silence for several minutes before dropping her head.

"Ed...where are you?"

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Shit!" Ed slammed the door shut behind him as he raced out onto the empty street. He turned back to glance at the warehouse that he had just searched. He had searched every inch of that damn building. No Chopper, no Winry, nothing! With a sigh of desperation he looked back down the street at the warehouses that he had already searched.

"That's all eight of them. Fuck!" Ed huffed as he leaned against a wall for support.

Ed felt exhausted, he had been running ever since he'd split up with Al and Paninya. His brief hope of finding Winry had diminished more with every empty warehouse. Now that he had searched all of them, the hope was gone completely. He had a sinking feeling that Alphonse and Paninya had also found nothing.

"Shut up idiot." He muttered as he stood up. "She's never given up on me, so I'll be damned if I give up on her!" Ed was broken out of his thoughts when he heard a shaky voice behind him

"M-mister?"

Ed turned to see a trembling little boy standing a few feet away. He looked to be about ten years old, wearing a red shirt and blue shorts. His face was tear stained and his shaky hands held a dog leash. "Yeah?" Ed asked. "Did you lose your dog? Listen kid, I'm sorry but I really can't-"

"Are you Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist?" The kid blurted out.

Ed stared at the kid in surprise before his eyes narrowed. "Yes."

The boy reached into his pocket and held out a folded piece of paper. "He told me to give this to you." The boy spoke shakily.

Ed's eyes widened. "What? Who did?"

"The man...the man with the knife. I-I was walking my dog when he stopped us. H-he grabbed me a-and then he hurt my dog!" The boy started to cry again, obviously traumatized by what had happened.

Ed's face softened and he knelt down in front of the boy, placing his flesh hand on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, what's your name?"

The boy lifted his head and wiped his face. "It's Trevor."

"Okay Trevor." Ed spoke softly. "What happened next?"

"The man showed me a picture of you. Then he gave me this letter." Trevor pointed to the paper. "He told me to find you and give you these or else he'd kill my dog then m-my family."

Ed cursed under his breath before putting another hand on Trevor's shoulder. "Trevor, listen to me. Everything's going to be okay. I'm not going to let him hurt your family."

"Who is he?" Trevor asked, his eyes wide.

Ed sighed. "A very, very bad man." He glanced at the letter and took it from Trevor. Standing back up, he opened and began to read.

 _Hello Edward._

 _It's been a long time, hasn't it Edward? I've read about you in the newspapers; you've made quite a name for yourself. You're more famous than I'll ever be. I heard from several other prisoners that you don't kill. I'm disappointed with you, Edward. Someone like you can't afford to be so careless. You never know what can come back to haunt you. When we fought in my Butcher shop you were going to kill me but you didn't. Now I've come back to haunt you, I've killed three more people. And I also have your Winry._

Ed's eyes widened. 'Have? She's still alive!' He started to read again/

 _Lambs are docile creatures Edward. Innocent and beautiful. Winry is a lamb, Edward; a sweet little lamb. She's not like you or me, Edward. We're different, we've chosen to live our lives different from the lambs haven't we. I've chosen to be the wolf. You've chosen to be a shepard. Now come and save your little lamb...if you can/_

 _I'll give you a hint, I'm somewhere within the Rush Valley county. Come and find us soon Edward, or else the wolf will have its fill._

 _This won't be the last letter you'll get. The next one will be much, much heavier._

Ed's fist clenched the paper in his hand.

"Will you get my dog back?"

Ed glanced at Trevor and his eyes softened. "I'll try Trevor. I'll try." He turned to look the boy in the eyes. "Thank you Trevor, you've been very brave. But now you need to head straight home. Okay? Tell your parents what happened and have them call the military."

"Okay." Trevor said.

"Good. Now where did you meet that man?" Ed asked.

Trevor pointed to the easy part of the city. "About twenty blocks that way. In t-the alley near the grocery shop. About an hour ago."

Ed deflated at the news. Barry would be long gone by now. "Thanks Trevor, now run home!" Ed ordered him. The boy nodded and took off running down the street.

Ed took off running. Even though Barry wouldn't be there, he could have left a sign. Maybe another letter. Ed's stomach turned when he remembered Barry's promise. Old storm clouds were ahead and soon it started to rain.

Eventually he was in the alley. The rain pouring down on him. He covered every inch of the alley, from end to end. He looked in trash cans, under boxes, and behind dumpsters. But there was nothing. No letters or packages of any kind. On the one hand Ed was grateful. This meant that Barry hadn't removed any other of Winry's body parts. But now he had nothing, this was a dead end.

'I don't know where to look!' He growled as he thought about Barry's letter. 'That motherfucker! He took her just to get revenge on me. This is just some sick game to him. Fuck! Winry is being hurt and there's nothing I can fucking do about it!'

Ed slumped against a nearby wall and slid to the wet ground in defeat.

"Winry…" He sighed her name. His best friend, mechanic, and his confidant. In his difficult, fucked up life; she had been a constant light. No matter how long him and Al were away, or how far they went. She was always waiting for them, for him. Images of her flashed through his brain. Her smiling when she'd see them coming down the road, frowning when he'd come back with a busted arm, crying when he himself wouldn't.

'The only reason that I'm even still alive is because of her. The only reason I can still walk is because of her. I owe her so much. I...love her!'

Ed let out a choked sob before he buried his head in his hands. Time passed slowly as he sat there crying. He didn't care about how he was getting strange looks from passerbyers. He didn't care about how tired and hungry he was. All he could think about was how he had failed Winry, the girl he loved.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter of Little Lambs. It's great to see that people are still enthusiastic about this story. Thank you for your reviews and keep them coming!**

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Ed and Al sat across from each other in one of the offices of the military headquarters in Rush Valley. Around them was the buzzing and activity of soldiers as they performed their duties. But neither sibling noticed, instead the Elric Brothers sat in silence. It seemed like that was the only thing that they could do.

Hopeless, that's how Alphonse felt. It was currently 10:34 p.m.; almost 12 hours after Winry had been kidnapped.

Al stared at his own metal hands before glancing at Edward's. His older brother's hands were shaking. His head was bowed with his golden hair falling in front of his eyes. Al watched him for a few moments before looking down again; his empty hands weren't shaking. They were solid and unmoving; lifeless. If he was really here, flesh and blood, he would probably be just as visibly nervous as his brother.

It was moments like this where Al really wished that he had his body back.

Al's own search of the warehouses had been as useless as Ed's. When they'd met back up, Ed had shown him the letter from the Chopper. The boy who had delivered it, Trevor, had come in earlier with his parents to talk to Lieutenant Pence. But nothing seemed to have been learned from this. No clues of where the Chopper could be, or where he could be holding Winry. The only thing they had learned from Trevor was that the Chopper's clothing was stained with a substance could have been coal. But that didn't exactly narrow down the search. Rush Valley was an industrial city, there had to be hundreds of buildings that used coal. Paninya had briefly shown up empty handed as well before heading home.

'It has to be close.' Al thought. 'He has to be close enough to follow up on his promise to deliver new letters.'

The soldiers had recently completed a full door-by door-search of the entire city. During one search they found the mutilated body of a man in his bathtub. He was identified as Marcus Ryan, a local factory worker. A large cleaver wound in his head made it clear that he had been murdered by The Chopper. Mr. Garfiel provided Winry's work schedule which showed that Ryan had been Winry's scheduled patient in the time that she had been abducted. This at least provided the Elrics and Pence a background to how this situation came to be. Unfortunately, Pence had no idea what to do now and was just wasting time, at least in Ed's opinion.

Al looked worriedly at his brother again. Ed was still staring at his hands. There were visible bags and shadows under his eyes. He looked like he was in agony.

"You should really get some rest, Brother." Al said softly.

"Rest?" Ed scoffed. "You think I can get any damn rest in this mess?"

"No, I don't." Al said. "But maybe you can try?"

"That wouldn't get anything done." Ed shook his head. His voice was tired and ragged. "I...can't sleep knowing that she's out there." Ed then lowered his head. "I shouldn't just be sitting here doing nothing. What if I missed something? What if the soldiers missed something?"

Al was silent for a moment before he decided to take a risk. "Don't do this to yourself brother...Winry wouldn't want it."

Ed's head shot up and it looked as if he'd react angrily. But then the anger seemed to leave his body and Ed slumped back into the chair.

"You're right, she wouldn't." He said, just above a whisper.

Al reached forward and put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you if something new comes up."

Ed let out a tired sigh and lay back in the chair. After a moment's hesitation, he closed his eyes and drifted off.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

What time was it? Was it day? Night?

Was she going to die? Winry didn't know.

Her eyelids felt like weights were attached to them. Winry was tired, yet she refused to fall asleep. Sleep would only make her even more vulnerable.

The creaking of metal signaled that her captor had returned for another visit. Winry tensed as the door swung open to reveal the tall silhouette of Barry the Chopper. Gone was his black jacket, he was now wearing a bloodstained smock. He seemed to be holding some sort of plate in his hands.

" _I thought you'd be hungry so I've brought you some lunch."_ His demented, yellow toothed grin returned as he held out the plate.

Winry's eyes narrowed; this had to be some kind of trick. "I'm not hungry."

" _Are you sure?"_ Barry stepped forward, getting closer to her. Winry stiffened as he neared her with the suspicious plate. " _It's just meat."_

Winry didn't trust anything that he wanted to give her. "But what kind of meat? Human?!" She spat at him.

Barry's eyes widened in mock surprise and he pressed one hand against his chest. " _What? Do you think I'm some sort of savage...because I'll admit that I am."_

Winry felt like she was going to be sick. "Y-you killed another person a-and cooked them?"

" _Heavens no. Where did you get that idea? No, this is dog meat."_ Barry chuckled as Winry noticed his sleeves were stained with fresh blood. " _The poor thing was just a puppy. I tried to decapitate it with a single swing but the little guy moved its head at the last second. It was quite messy. Oh I can still hears his whimpering, he reminded me of you."_

Winry felt bile in the back of her throat but she forced it back down. "Get that fucking plate away from me!"

He cocked his head to the side. " _You sure Winry? You should really keep up your strength."_

Winry didn't respond.

Barry shrugged. " _If you insist._ " He then tossed the plate against the wall where it shattered and the charred meat slid to the ground. The broken shards and silverware clattered to the floor.

" _Hey Winry?"_ He said after a moment.

Winry glared at him but didn't answer. She knew what she was doing was stupid. She shouldn't be antagonizing her captor but she couldn't help it.

" _You must be curious as to where we are? Not that it really matters but we're in an abandoned coal factory several miles outside of Rush Valley. I know, I was also hoping for a butcher shop. But you can't always get what you want. At least no one will bother us. This building has been forgotten, it isn't even on any maps."_

Winry tried not to show any reaction to his words. But inwardly, the news that no one would find her here only increased the pit of despair in her stomach.

" _I actually just went for a walk to Rush Valley for a little sight seeing about an hour ago. Those poor stupid soldiers are doing it all wrong. They're not like the Eastern soldiers. By the way, you'll never guess who I saw!"_ Barry grinned, cocking his head to the side. " _Your little hero."_

Winry's eyes widened. "Edward." She whispered.

Barry's eyes seemed to grow in delight. His black pupils were aimed straight at her. " _Yes_. _He looked awful, simply terrible. Your disappearance appears to be distressing him greatly. Oh the beauty of young love. I had half a mind to go up and...say hi."_

"Leave him alone!" She growled at the serial killer. "If you hurt him I'll…"

Barry quickly cut Winry off with a snarl. " _You'll do nothing."_ He then started to laugh, a cold evil laugh that sent chills through Winry. " _I mean look at you! Tied up, chained! You're helpless, useless!"_

Winry's breath caught and she looked away from Barry. "Shut up." She muttered.

" _What's the matter? Have I hit a touchy subject? But you are helpless. I could do whatever I want to do to you right now. Hit you, cut you, rape you, kill you. And nothing would stop me."_ He stopped to smile at her before continuing.

" _You know I'm right Winry. You're not a fighter, a soldier, or an Alchemist? You're just a mechanic. A mechanic who is needed for a job but then cast aside once your usefulness has run it's course."_

"Shut up!" Winry shouted at Barry. "You don't know anything about me and Ed!"

Barry gave her a sympathetic smile. " _I know that you were visiting him two years ago. I know that it was a surprise visit. And that tells me you don't visit them regularly. I know that the Elric Brothers travel often so I guess they don't stop by for play dates anymore, do they?"_

Winry kept her gaze off the man in front of her until she felt his hand gripping her chin for a third time. This time it was gentle as he turned her head to face him. " _You want to see Ed, don't you? It's okay Winry, you'll be seeing him shortly. But first I'll let him fumble about trying to find you for a few days. That will give us some more quality alone time. Because I am nowhere near done with you."_ Barry let go of her chin and stood up. "See _you in the morning Winry. Try to get some rest, you'll need it."_ With that Barry stood up and exited the room.

Winry lowered her head. " _Helpless, useless!"_ His words rang in her head like the gongs of a bell. 'He's right. Fuck it, he's right.' She threw her head back and stared at the ceiling. 'He's going to hurt Ed once he's done with me! What if he brings Ed here and makes him watch as...oh god.' Winry bit her lip and tugged on her arms uselessly. 'I got to get out of here. I have to show that bastard that that I'm not useless or helpless! If I get out of here then I can find Ed. But first I need to get out of-'

Winry's eyes widened and zeroed in on her left hand. The finger wound had stopped bleeding an hour ago and her hand was covered in dried blood. She experimentally shook her arm, feeling her small wrist bounce against the inside of the manacle. 'It's too tight to pull my hand out, but if I had some kind of lubricant.' Her eyes then turned to the stump where her left pinky once stood. She then glanced to her left where the remains of the plate lay. Among the shards lay a metal knife and fork.

'If I can just reach them then…' Winry examined the manacle holding her left hand. Although there was very little light in the room, Winry could still see that it was held together by screws. And their heads were exposed.

'This could work! But I'll damage the nerves. There'll be no chance of doctors reattaching my finger.' Winry thought before growing angry at herself. 'Fuck my damn finger! I'm not going to die. Not here! Not now!'

Winry let out a shaky breath and turned back to the task at hand. "Ok, you can do this Winry." She then pressed the nail of her thumb against the fresh stump. She bit her lip before pressing the nail down into the wound.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Brother….Brother wake up."

Ed jolted awake and glanced around the hallway. He was still sitting in the chair, Al's hand was gently shaking his shoulder.

"Wha...what is it?" He asked.

"I was just told that Colonel Mustang is on his way from Central." Al informed him.

"When is he going to be here?" Ed sat up.

Al was silent for a moment before speaking. "Morning."

Ed sighed. "Dammit. He can't be here sooner? What time is it anyway?"

Al glanced at a nearby clock. "Just passed eleven."

Ed yawned, not feeling as tired as he was earlier. "So what's happening?"

Alphonse glanced outside the door before looking at Ed. "Pence and his men are researching some buildings in the city and checking out some of the reported sightings. The city is still on lockdown and they're looking for any more possible witnesses."

Ed gave a small growl. "So basically, they've got jackshit?"

"Basically...yes." Al's eyes went to his feet.

Ed's automail fingers dug into the armrest as the pit of despair in his chest only got worse. "It's ridiculous." He muttered darkly. "This military can fight off invasions, and win wars. Yet they can't find one man!"

'Or one girl.' He thought miserably. Ed sat back and thought back to the last time he had seen Winry. It had been several weeks earlier during the Milos incident. He remembered how confused he had been when he first saw that she was there. There was a fucking war going on yet she still came to help him and Al. He remembered how brave she had been.

Ed almost smiled at the memory; it was typical Winry. Always doing whatever she could to help them, to help other people. Even though it was a dangerous situation, Winry didn't care. Hell, she was willing to fly down into a lava filled canyon with him for crying out loud. He could still feel her tight grip on him had during that ride. He could also hear her yelling at him when he crash landed them.

Ed quickly stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.

"Brother?" Al asked as he also stood up.

"I'm just going for a walk, to try to clear my head." Ed said. "You stay here Al. In case something comes up."

"Are you sure Brother?"

"I won't be long." Ed said as he continued to walk.

"What if this is what the Chopper wants?" Al asked, standing up. "He might come after you."

Ed came to a stop. His eyes were glaring at the door in front of him.

"I hope he does." Ed said before opening the door and walking out.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry grit her teeth as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. The pain was almost too much, worse than anything the Chopper had done to her. "Keep going. Ah!...Need more." Winry muttered before pressing her thumb deeper into the bleeding wound, causing more blood to be pumped out. The red liquid poured down her hand towards her wrist. Completely coating it and the metal around her arm.

Winry let out a gasping breath and looked at her left hand. It was completely covered in dripping red blood, all of it moving downwards. Winry had been working on lubricating her hand for the last...she didn't know long it had been. She just had to get her hand wet enough with her own blood so that she could maybe pull it out of the manacle.

'I-I think that's enough.' She thought before removing her thumb from the wound. A quiet quenching sound was heard as the bloodied appendage was pulled out. Winry tried to stay quiet as she did this, only letting out a small whimper of pain. She didn't know where Barry was or when he'd come back.

She had to get out of here now!

Her arm was extremely numb from the lack of blood flow, but she could still move it. With one last breath Winry began to pull her arm down; doing her best to make her hand as skinny as possible. She could feel the wet flesh sliding just slightly against the metal.

Winry grinded her teeth again as pain shot through her arm. She was trying to squeeze her hand through a hole that was smaller than it. It fucking hurt. Her hand was slowly sliding through the metal manacle. It was slow and her hand felt like it was being crushed.

'Stop complaining.' Winry cursed at herself. 'Edward lost his arm and leg. He's been through more pain than that psycho has put me through. This is nothing.' With renewed enthusiasm, Winry focused all of her attention on pulling her hand out of the manacle.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Ed walked down the street, his hands in his pockets. His mind was elsewhere.

'Fuck everything!' He thought angrily in his head. "Fuck the Chopper. Fuck Pence and his useless stupidity. And fuck me for bringing this on Winry!'

Ed sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was then that he thought about what Al said to him earlier.

'He's right.' He thought tiredly. 'Freaking out is just wasting time. If I'm going to find Winry I need to think straight.'

For some reason, he couldn't help but think of Winry when she worked on her automail. When she did that, she was always calm and precise. She paced herself so that she could handle any situation. If any problems came up, like a faulty wire or a crooked screw, she'd fix it. For her, it was about fixing every problem one at a time until eventually she completed her task. Maybe that same kind of thinking could be applied to this situation? His hand moved to his chin thoughtfully as he continued his walk down the street.

'So a total of fifteen people claimed to have seen the Chopper moving around, including Trevor.' Ed thought. 'None of these people knew where he was going.'

Ed stopped to glance up at the moon. It was full.

'And how many of these people can be believed?' He thought. 'There was that one woman who said that she saw him chasing little kids and another who said he saw The Chopper sneaking across rooftops.'

Ed glanced to look at all the buildings of Rush Valley.

'He's good but someone should have found something by now. And he definitely isn't going with the old meat truck trick. So...maybe he isn't even in the city, but is hiding in the canyons.'

Ed stopped dead in his tracks. 'What if we've been doing this all wrong.' He thought with dread. He was shaken from his thoughts by someone calling his name and the sound of metal feet stomping on the ground.

"Edward!"

Ed quickly turned to the voice and saw Paninya running towards him. She came to a stop three feet away from him, out of breath and eyes wide.

"Paninya?" Ed asked confused before becoming serious. "What's wrong? Is it the Chopper?" Ed leaned to the side so that he could see if someone was chasing her.

"No, uh actually yes but...Ed you gotta listen to me." The dark skinned skin girl leaned forward to catch her breath before straightening up. "I went to where that kid Trevor was attacked by the Chopper and asked around."

The tension left Ed's body and he sighed sadly. "Paninya, the soldiers already did that, nothing substantial turned up that could help the investigation."

"They didn't talk to everyone." Paninya said excitedly. "They missed a few people who saw a man matching the Chopper's description standing in a alley minutes before he took Trevor's dog. The bottom line is that...I know where Winry is!"

Ed's eyes bulged out of his head. He reacted like a small explosion went off inside of him. "What?! How?! Where-" He was absolutely frantic.

"Let me explain." Paninya cut him off. "I talked to five people who saw the Chopper in the alley. And all of them saw that he appeared to be cleaning his boots."

"Cleaning?" Ed shouted. "What does that have to do w-"

"Let me finish!" Paninya shouted before calming down. "His boots were filthy, as were the bottoms of his trousers."

Ed took a breath to try and calm himself. "Filthy with what?" He asked, though his voice was strained.

"Soot and coal. A man getting his paper, two women in houses across the street, a mailman, and homeless man all saw the Chopper with soot and coal on his boots. You don't get that on your feet by just standing in an alley."

"We already know about the coal." Ed said, his spirits falling.

"But I know it came from." Paninya said.

Ed's eyebrows furrowed at her words. He wanted to believe that she had found something but he was scared about getting his hopes up. "Are you sure this was even the Chopper?" All the other 'witnesses' had given varying reports on what the Chopper had looked like.

Paninya almost smiled. "They said he was tall, lanky, and he had short blondish hair, brown on the sides."

Ed let out an excited breath. "That's him alright." He could feel blood pumping in his ears. His heart was beating a mile a minute. Pure nervous excitement coursed through every cell in his body. He could do it! He could find her! He could save her!

"You said you knew where Winry was. Well! Where is she?" He practically demanded.

"In an old coal mine and factory, three miles outside of the city." Paninya said. "The soldiers searched every warehouse and factory in the city but they never thought to look outside the city. This particular factory has been closed for more than thirty years. It doesn't show up on any maps and there's barely any record of it left. The building is completely isolated and no one's been there for years. Don't you see? It's the perfect place for the Chopper to be hiding out."

Ed's jaw dropped and he could feel something building in his stomach. It was hope. "But if this factory is so forgotten then how do you know about it?" He asked skeptically.

Paninya was quick to answer. "It's in the canyons, not that far from Dominic's house. I once got lost during a storm on my way there and stumbled upon it. It was a creepy ass building."

Ed suddenly grabbed the front of Paninya's shirt. "Why the hell didn't you mention this earlier?!" He shouted. "Do you know how much time you've wasted!"

Paninya went stiff and a few tears threatened to fall. "It just came to me a little while ago. I've only been there once and that was years ago. I'm so sorry Ed. I'd never do anything to hurt Winry."

Ed's face softened and he released her.

Paninya began to speak again. "I was on my way to the military headquarters when I ran into you. Come on, we need to tell them!" She began to run passed him.

"No."

Paninya stopped dead in her tracks. "What?"

Ed's fists clenched. "We can't tell them, not yet."

Now it was Paninya's turn to get angry. "Why not?"

"Because Pence and his men will surround the building. The Chopper will see them coming from a mile away. Once he sees that he's trapped, what do you think he's going to do to Winry?"

Paninya open her mouth but didn't speak. She looked at her feet and clenched her fists. "He'll kill her."

"I will not risk that. I will not let him hurt her any more, not if I can stop it!" Ed said determinedly. "I have to go alone."

Paninya stared at Ed like he had two heads. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe." Ed shrugged. "It would take too long to go get Al and Pence would get curious if he saw the two of us leaving. Besides Al's not...the stealthiest person. Now where is this mine?"

Paninya stared at Ed for a moment before sighing. "I'll take you there, come on." She then grabbed Ed's arm and dragged him over to a nearby car. It was a rather fancy looking vehicle with a green paint job.

"It would take hours to get there by foot. This should get us there in about 30 minutes."

"Wait?" Ed started. "Who's-"

Paninya used one of her metal feet to smash the window.

"-car is this." He finished in dry voice.

"Don't worry, the owner will understand. He's one of Winry's patients." Paninya said as she reached in and opened the door. She brushed the glass onto the street and then reached under the wheel. "Give me a few minutes to hot wire this thing."

Sometimes Ed forgot that she used to be a thief.

"So you can drive?" Ed asked.

Paninya slowed in her work and gave Ed a sheepish look. "Well…I can steer."

"That's good enough for me. Now hurry up!" Ed said before looking back up at the moon. An image of Winry's beautiful face flashed through his mind.

'I'm coming Winry. Don't worry.'

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Ah!..Hg...almost...Ow…got it!"

With one final tug, Winry's left hand finally squeezed through the manacle. The numb limb fell to the ground as Winry gasped for breath. Her blood covered hand throbbed in pain but it was finally free.

"I did it." Winry murmured as she felt the blood flow returning to her left arm. She needed to rest her arm a bit before trying for the knife. As Winry sat there she realized how sore her entire body was.

'I've been stuck in this sitting position for hours. I don't know if I'll be able to run.' Winry thought to herself. 'Ok, worry about that later. One problem at a time.'

Winry began to move her left arm, feeling strength slowly filling her muscles once again. She ran her hand over her body, inspecting the cuts that Barry had given her. Most of the had turned to scabs and all had stopped bleeding. After a few more minutes of regaining her strength, she knew it was time.

'The Chopper said he'd see me in the morning. I guess that means I've got at least a few hours to get out of here before he comes back.'

Winry turned her body as much as she could towards the left. A few feet away from her lay the knife that Barry had tossed against the wall earlier. The knife didn't look very sharp and had a slightly rounded tip. But that tip was small enough to do the job. Winry glanced up at the screws holding the right manacle together. They were Phillip screws and had a plus sign shape in the center of them. The tip of the knife was just small enough to fit inside of those centers. If her plan worked, then the knife would work as a substitute screwdriver.

'Almost there. I'm almost there.' Winry thought before turning back to the knife. It was a few feet away. She pushed herself up a little with her legs. Her joints ached from having sat in the same position for so long. She leaned forward, hand outstretched towards the knife. The tip of her finger brushed the edge of the handle.

"Come on." Winry said. "Come on!"

She looked back at her wrist that was still chained to the wall.

"Just a little bit more." Winry whispered as she pulled as much as she could. The metal of the manacle dug into her wrist but she ignored it. She was even closer now. The digit of her middle finger was brushing over the handle now. Winry held her breath as she placed her finger on the knife. She continued to hold it as she started to drag it towards her. It moved about a quarter of an inch before her finger slipped off. Winry let out her breath in an annoyed huff. She reached out again. Her finger brushed the knife, causing it to spin away from her slightly. Winry was almost ready to scream with frustration, but kept on working at it. Carefully, she placed her finger on the handle again. She slowly turned it back to face her and resumed dragging it. She got it to where she could place both her middle and index finger on the edge of the handle. After that she could move it much faster.

The feeling of wrapping her hand around that knife was one of the most satisfying in Winry's whole life.

She couldn't help the quiet relieved laughter that escaped her lips. She had the knife. Despite the amount of blood on her hand, Winry was able to get a firm grip on the blade. It felt weird holding something without her pinky finger, but right now she had other things to worry about.

Winry looked back up at her restrained hand. There were three screws securing the other manacle together. She brought the knife up and pressed the tip into the slit of one the screws. It took a few moments for her hand to stop shaking but then she began to turn the blade. At first the screw didn't move.

"Come on." Winry growled to herself before redoubling her efforts. Pressing the rounded tip harder into the screw. After several minutes of frustration, she felt it turn slightly.

'Yes!'

She turned the knife even more, the screw turned as well. Winry kept going at it until she heard the wonderful sound of a screw bouncing on the stone floor. With one screw gone, the manacle became less tight around her hand. But Winry needed to remove more before she could get her hand out.

"Keep going." Winry muttered as she placed the knife in the next screw and began to turn it as well. This one was less tight than the previous screw and came loose more easily. These manacles were either very old or just poorly made.

It continued like that for a long time. Winry would twist and prod with the knife until the screws were out. The manacle fell apart and her right arm was free. The limb had fallen asleep and fell to the ground. Blood flow poured back into the limb as the numbness slowly faded away. Winry lifted her arm and began to move it in circles to get her strength back.

"Almost out...just need...to get my feet. I'm so close!" Winry's breathing was coming out in nervous pants. It had taken her at least an hour to get her right hand free and she had no idea what time it was. For all she knew, it was morning and untold horrors awaited her.

' _He_ could be back any moment. I gotta move fast.'

Moving as fast as her aching body allowed, Winry pushed herself off the wall. With her arms no longer trapped she was able to reach the manacles that trapped her ankles. Her stiff arms and legs screamed in protest but Winry fought through it.

'I'm not going to die here! Not in this damn place!'

The knife's tip had broken off halfway through the right manacle, but the knife was still usable. With no hesitation, Winry got to work freeing her right foot. Now that she had both hands; the task was far more easy. The manacle came off her right ankle and it was only a few more minutes before her left was free.

Winry almost felt like crying tears of joy. She was free. She could get out! She could find Edward! Winry pushed herself to her feet, stumbling briefly before regaining her balance.

The pain in her right hand caught her attention. Winry winched and saw that it was still bleeding. Glancing around she saw the remained of her tank top. Winry crawled over to it, careful to keep her injured hand from touching the ground. When she reached the white fabric, she grabbed it. Using both hands she tore the remains into white strips. She used these strips to wrap her hand in a faux bandage. When the bloody wound was snugly bound she paused to give herself a moment to breath.

'Ok.' She thought. 'I have no idea where I am or where _he_ is.'

She glanced at the door that led to whatever was outside.

'Only one way to find out.'

She pushed herself up. On weak legs, wearing only a black tube top and a miniskirt. Grasping the knife in her right hand she used her left to test the door handle. To her amazement the knob turned; meaning that the door was unlocked.

"Looks like somebody underestimates me." She murmured with a weak smile.

She glanced down at the broken knife in her hand.

'It's better than nothing.' She thought.

Winry held the knife tightly and twisted the nob. After a moment to ready herself, she took one final breath then pushed the door open.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

 **Yay, the Winry torture porn is over. Things are starting to look up.**


	5. Chapter 5

**It's nice to see everybody cheering Winry on. Let's see what happens next..**

 **O** **oO**

* * *

 **OoO**

Winry held the knife tightly and twisted the knob. After a moment to ready herself, she took one final breath then pushed the door open.

It opened to reveal a very small room and another damn door.

Winry stood there confused for a moment and looked around the new room that she was in. It was four feet in width by five feet in length. The only entrances were the door she had just come through and another one standing directly across from it. The two walls on both sides of her had broken picture frames on them. The pictures themselves were missing, leaving only wood and broken glass.

Hesitantly, Winry stepped forward, closing the door she had just come through. Feeling curious, she glanced behind her to look at it. The door to her prison said 'Women's' in big bold letters.

'A bathroom?' She thought bewildered. 'He's been keeping me in a fucking bathroom!'

Deciding to reflect on that later, she reached out for the knob of the other door. Winry wrapped her fingers around the cold metal and turned.

It didn't budge.

"Come on." Winry muttered desperately as she began shake the knob uselessly. "Please!"

She stood back to look the door up and down. It was sturdy and in good condition; no chance of it being knocked down. Winry's eyes then zeroed in on the door's lock. During her time in Rush Valley, Paninya had showed her how to pick locks. At the time Winry had thought she'd never have to use said skill.

Boy was she wrong.

'I need something to pick the lock.' Winry thought before glancing down at the knife in her hand. 'No, that won't work.' She then looked around the space she was in and at the room behind her.

"There has to be something…"

Her thoughts trailed off when she looked at one of the broken picture frames. She could practically feel the lightbulb popping overhead as she looked at it. Grabbing the old wooden rectangle, she spun it around to look at the back. A smile formed in her face when she saw there were wires holding it up. Using the knife, Winry carefully cut it away from the frame. Once it was separated, Winry split it in half so that she had two pieces of wire. A small smile still on her face, she began working on the lock. After what felt like hours of poking away inside of the knob, she heard the click of it unlocking. She dropped the wires and gave the door an experimental turn. Winry almost shouted with glee when it was unlocked.

'Well that was just annoying.' She grinned to herself. So far so good.

Her excitement died down however, as she stared at the door in front of her. Behind it lurked a monster. As soon she stepped out there, every decision that she'll make will matter. A misstep, a sneeze, or just tripping over a piece of trash could be her undoing. She gave herself five seconds of feeling safe behind the door before opening it.

This one revealed a empty and windowless hallway.

Winry fought to control the volume of her breathing as she inched the door open. _He_ could be anywhere. The hallway was a complete mess, the walls were decomposing and the floor was covered in various debris. Like her cell, the only lights were flickering lightbulbs on the ceiling. The walls looked like they could be knocked down easily. But doing so would create noise and immediately alert the Chopper. Dust floated through the air, stinging Winry's eyes. She blinked the forming tears away and cautiously took a step into the hallway.

Unfortunately, Winry didn't look at the ground in front of her and and her bare foot landed on a thin piece of wood.

 _Snap!_

'Shit!'

Winry froze as the snap echoed throughout the hallway. Her blood ran cold and her breath caught in her throat. Did _he_ hear that?

The next few moments seemed to last hours as Winry waited with bated breath. Her grip on the knife tightened as she prepared to run. But as the agonizing minutes ticked by, nothing happened. Winry let out a nervous chuckle and wiped the sweat forming on her forehead. A part of Winry was screaming at her to just run. To throw all caution to the wind and get out as fast as she could. The rest of her was telling Winry to be careful. She decided to go with the latter.

Glancing down at the floor, Winry saw it was filthy and rather dangerous. Trash, various woods and metal, as well as broken glass littered the floor. 'Because why not?' Winry sighed to herself.

This time she carefully stepped forward over the broken wood and shattered glass. The ground was cold and sent goosebumps up her legs. Still moving cautiously, Winry stepped completely into the hallway. She turned around and carefully closed the door.

'Now how the hell do I get out of here?'

Looking down the hallway Winey saw there were several more doors lining the walls. Any one of them could be a way out. Any one of them could also lead to a trap. Winry looked away from the doors and to where the hallway led. One end of the hallway was a wall while the other curved into a corner. 'That's got to lead to the way out.'

Winry started to quickly and carefully make her way down the hallway. She moved fast but not fast enough to make enough noise to draw the Chopper. The slow movements caused her aching limbs to protest, but she fought through the pain.

'Where is he? He'd want to keep an eye on me so he's got to be close. Maybe he's in one of these rooms?'

Winry moved forward slowly. There were several doors in the hallway that she was in. The Chopper could be in any of them. She glanced at them as she passed, not willing to risk opening them. She made her way to the the corner and peered around it. There was another identical hallway that led to another corner. Winry did a quick survey of the hallway before stepping out into it. Her bare feet scraping against the rough ground with every step. Everytime she moved past an open door she'd glance in it. Most of the rooms were empty or boarded up, except for one. One of them had some light coming out of it. Clutching the knife close to her chest Winry cautiously peered into the room.

She froze at the sight in front of her. There was blood all over the room. There was blood on the floor; on tables; and on the walls. There were also large hooks with chunks of bloody meat and gore hanging from the ceiling. Against the wall she saw a table with an array of cleavers, and butcher knives on it. Winry felt tempted to go in and grab one of those weapons. Any of those would be a better means of defending herself than a small broken knife.

What stopped her was the shadow.

There was a shadow in the room. A shadow of a tall, lanky man. Winry froze, not daring to make any noises or movement. It was _him_.

He seemed to be hunched over another table. The flickering light made him appear then disappear. She could faintly hear him muttering something. It was something unintelligible, like he was speaking some other language under his breath.

Winry could feel her heart pounding loudly in her chest. For a moment, when his shadow stood up, she was afraid he could hear it. But he merely reached over to his left and picked up a cleaver. He then turned his attention back to whatever was on the table.

Winry slowly backed away, moving as quietly as possible. If he heard her now, she was done for. There was no way she could beat him, she was too injured and sore to even put up a fight.

'Why can't Ed be here?' She cried in her head. She was terrified and frustrated at the same time.

The sound of the cleaver slicing through meat and hitting the table came from the room. He was chopping something up, something large.

'Ed isn't here.' She thought, with a shake of her head. 'I've come this far, I can do the rest.'

Winry started moving as slowly as possible away from the Chopper's room. She was scared of turning her back towards it but she had to. Mustering up all of her courage Winry crept down the hallway towards the corner. She resisted every urge to just breakout running. Winry was now five feet away from the corner, her feet making only the slightest noise. She had a hand on the wall as she led her way along. She was only one foot now. Two more steps and…

...it was a dead end.

Winry stared at the wall hopelessly. There was no door or window of any kind. It was nothing, there was nothing!

No way out.

"Wha..?" She murmured, her arms hanging limply at her side. "I don't…"

Shaking out of it, Winry turned around and headed back to the corner. If this wasn't the way out, then it had to be elsewhere. As she moved to go around the corner, she froze. Winry had turned the corner just in time to see the Chopper exiting his butcher room. His eyes were focused on the wall in front of him and he was still muttering nonsense. With a gasp, she jumped back away from from view and quickly backed up. Winry pressed herself against the dead end; almost tripping on an old metal pole lying on the ground. Winry wasn't a very religious person but at the moment she prayed to God that he hadn't seen or heard her.

A bone chilling chuckle sounded through the hallway causing Winry's blood to freeze. Several moments passed and nothing happened: feeling risky, Winry glanced around to see him walking away from her.

'Thank God." She thought. 'He didn't see me.'

Her relief was short lived; for she realized where he was going. Her cell!

'Shit!' Winry panicked in her head. 'He's going to see I'm out. He's going to..'

Winry felt pure terror envelop her. Her uninjured hand moved to her bandaged one. What was he going to do when he found her? Remove another finger? Her whole hand? Or would he stop playing games and finally kill her. She backed up towards the dead end, unsure of what to do. Any second now he was going to realize that she had escaped. She glanced at the metal pole laying a few feet away. With it, she could defend herself but for how long. Her back hit the wall. Her arms were loose at her sides. She slid down onto the ground, her knees coming up to her chest. She felt a sob working its way up. She was going to die in here.

She felt a breeze on her hands.

Winry's head snapped to the side. Her hands were on the ground in front of the wall. 'What?'

Again, she felt a soft wind hitting her fingers, it was coming from the wall. Winry got on her hands and knees then lowered herself to examine the bottom of the wall. When her face was an inch above the ground she felt the breeze hitting her skin.

'Where the hell is that coming from?' She thought before her eyes widened.

The wall was not touching the floor, in fact it was a quarter inch above it. The breeze was coming through the gap and so was a very faint light! Winry quickly straightened up and stared at the 'wall' in front of her. Winry held back a gasp when she saw it.

This wall was different from the rest of the hallway, it's paint job was off and it's condition was better. Winry then pressed her ear against the wall and quietly knocked.

There was an echo; it was hollow.

"A fake wall!" Winry muttered before her eyes began to sweep over its sides. 'There's got to be a knob, a switch, or a button.' She placed the knife into the waistband of her skirt and frantically ran her hands over the wall; trying to find someway to open it. Winry knew that she only had moments before the Chopper would be looking for her.

Those moments passed quickly.

" _Winry! Where are you?"_

Without a moment's hesitation, Winry dove behind her to grab the old metal pole on the ground. She grabbed it and stood up. With all of her strength, she hit the wall with the metal. It broke through the plaster and left a hole. Some light from the outside came through the cracks and onto her face. As if on pure instinct and adrenaline, Winry started bashing the wall as hard as she could, again and again.

" _Is that you making all that racket over there?"_

The sound of his voice only caused her to swing harder. Her arms ached from the jolt that went through them every time the metal hit the wood. The aches causing her already sore limbs to throb even harder.

She could hear footsteps approaching quickly.

The hole was getting bigger, she could proudly fit her head though it. The light that had shone on her face was the moon as it shined through a window in some hallway. She was breathing hard from the exertion.

'You can take a nap later!' Winry screamed at herself as she continued to smash the fake wall. 'Just imagine it's Ed after he broke his automail. C'mon you can do this!'

Her head turned when she heard a boot scraping against the floor. She looked behind her to see Barry come whirling around the corner; cleaver in hand. His black eyes locked onto her and his yellow teeth twisted into a demented grin.

Without thinking Winry dove forward at the hole. The remaining wood was hard, but it gave way under the force of her hitting it. She tumbled through it in an avalanche of wood and chippings. Winry landed hard on the concrete floor, her head hitting it as well. She let out a cry of pain and felt the taste the blood in her mouth. The right side of her body was screaming and she could barely move her right arm. It felt like her entire body had gone numb.

"Get up. Get up!" Winry muttered through gritted teeth as she painfully pushed herself up. Her body was aching with pain and she probably had several bone fractures. Winry glanced at herself and saw multiple splinters sticking out of her flesh.

'Just push through it. That's what Ed would do.' Winry though as she started to stand up.

Suddenly a hand gripped the back of her hair and tugged her back violently. Winry cried out as her back hit what was left of the fake wall. Wood and broken plaster dug into her skin. Winry's eyes turned to see Barry leaning through the hole that she had made, his left arm trapping her with a steel grip. His eyes twitched with malicious glee.

" _Leaving so soon my Little Lamb? That's too bad, because I wanted to play a game."_ The Chopper's mouth was practically foaming as he placed his cleaver down so that he could grip her with both hands.

Winry pushed against him desperately in an attempt to escape. Barry only chuckled as he began to pull her back through the hole. Winry tried to struggle but couldn't in her injured state. This only caused the Chopper's cold laughter to get louder.

With adrenaline coursing through her veins, Winry's hand went to her waistband. She gripped the knife tightly and pulled it from her skirt. In the same motion, Winry stabbed blindly at the Chopper.

Something warm and wet hit the side of her face.

The sound that he made was closer to a wounded animal than a human's. His grip on her hair loosened as his mad cry continued. She fell forward away from the fake wall and landed on the ground. She brought her knees under her and launched herself up with the only hand she could use. It was her bandaged one.

She got up on her feet and took off running, the Chopper's scream having chilled her to the bone. She could still hear him as she ran, the sounds were getting quieter as she got more and more far away. But it was different now.

He was laughing.

Winry stumbled down the endless hallways, passed piles of coal dust and rusted crumbling machinery. The only things that she could focus on were what was in front of her and what was behind her. She didn't notice the tears running down her face or the quiet sobs escaping her mouth. She didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to be in danger or in pain. She just wanted to find Edward. She wanted to go home.

Winry didn't realize that she was outside until she felt cold wind against her face and pebbles beneath her feet. Even then, she didn't stop running. She couldn't stop.

Winry ran for what seemed like miles. She didn't stop running until it felt like every little bit of energy was drained from her. Even then, she kept on walking.

Her movements were uncoordinated. Every step was a stumble to either the left or the right. Her chest seemed to burn with every haggard breath she took. She could barely keep her eyes open, she was so exhausted. And even when she could, all she saw was a foggy haze. Her arms hung limply at her side, the right side of her body still throbbed with pain.

It was nighttime, pitch black out. She didn't know where she was going or even if she was on a road. The surrounding area looked rocky and barren, with a few dead trees. Small pebbles dug into her feet as she trudged forward. Adrenaline being the only thing keeping her going.

Winry vaguely felt her left hand moving to wipe at the blood dripping down her forehead. Her tumble through the wall had opened up a gash on her head. As well as giving her a possible concussion. She felt lightheaded as she walked, but she didn't know whether to contribute it to the possible concussion or the blood loss. She sucked in a breath as her tongue moved to wet her dry and cracked lips. She was thirsty; so very, very thirsty.

'When's the last time I had something to drink?' She thought. 'How long was I in there? Hours? Days?' The cold wind sent almost violent shivers through her body. Her lack of clothing leaving her exposed to the harsh elements.

Suddenly she realized that she wasn't holding the knife any more. 'Did I just drop it or did I drop a while ago?' That was her last thought before her foot caught on a rock and she tumbled forward. Winry hit the ground hard, causing her to groan from the impact. She tries to push herself back up but her body simply wouldn't move. Her head was throbbing, her muscles were cramped and aching, she could barely move her right arm. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything in who knows how long. The adrenaline was starting to wear off as the last bit of energy escaped her.

'I gotta keep moving. I have to...have to…Edward.'

Winry's vision blurred past the point of visibly before turning to darkness completely.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"Careful, CAREFUL!" Ed shouted as Paninya just barely missed crashing into an extremely old tree.

"Do you want to drive?" Paninya snapped at him.

"At this point yes!" Ed gripped the seat tightly. "How close are we to this factory?"

"Almost there." Paninya said as she took a wild turn to the left down a very bumpy road. "Just a few minutes down this road and we should be there."

"Stop the car." Ed said quickly.

"What?"

"Just stop driving."

Paninya put her foot on the break and the vehicle came to a jolting stop. Ed let out a sigh and unbuckled his seatbelt. "The Chopper will see the headlights if we get too close." He said as he exited the car and moved toward's the front. Paninya began to get out as well, but was stopped by Ed.

"You're not coming with me." He said in stern tone. Paninya stared at him like he had two heads.

Ed began to explain. "I'm going to continue on and check this place out. While you head back to Rush Valley then-."

"I'm going to what? Are you crazy Edward, I'm not leaving you!" Paninya cut him off.

"Then you'll tell Al and Pence about this place. Have them bring the cavalry." Ed finished. "I'll find Winry, and make sure she's safe by the time they get here."

Paninya was silent for a moment before speaking. "What about the Chopper?"

Ed's fists clenched. "I'll deal with him."

"But-" She began to protest but was cut off by Ed.

"It's my fault that Winry's in danger." Ed spoke solemnly. "It's my fault that the Chopper killed that man in Rush Valley. He's after me, it's always been about me. He only took Winry to lure me in and then fuck with my head." He paused for a moment before continuing. "This is my responsibility. My fight. No one else needs to get involved."

"Ed…" Paninya said softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to fight that psycho on your own. I can help you. I know that I haven't known Winry as long as you, but she is my friend too."

"Right now, the best thing you could do for Winry is to get the military here as fast as possible. It'll...probably be over by then." Ed said the last part in a quiet voice. "Don't worry, I've beaten this psycho before and I've gotten a lot better since then." He finished with a somewhat cocky grin.

Paninya gave a sigh before looking Ed in the eye. "You know...Winry once told me that you were either the bravest or the dumbest person that she had ever known." She said with a small grin.

Ed raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think?"

Paninya shrugged. "A bit of both." Her face then turned serious. "Please bring Winry back safely."

"I will." Ed said determinedly.

Paninya nodded and started to get back into the driver's seat. "Oh if you're going for a walk, you might want this." She said before tossing Ed a water bottle which he caught. Paninya turned on the engine before glancing back at Ed. "Kick that bastard's ass."

"With pleasure." Ed muttered darkly as he turned towards the direction of the factory. As he heard Paninya turn the car around, his thoughts turned to Al.

'He's probably trying to find me by now. He must be worried sick.' Ed frowned as his thoughts turned negative. 'If I'm killed here; what will happen to Al? Will he be able to restore his body without me?'

Ed's fists clenched and he began to run down the road. 'I'm not going to die today. I'm gonna go in there, save Winry, and kill that son of a bitch! He's hurt so many people. Ruined so many lives. He's hurt Winry twice. Never again. It ends tonight!'

During his ride to the factory, Ed had thought about all of Barry's victims. The twenty two women that he had brutally slaughtered all those years ago. The two prison guards who he had stabbed and strangled to death. Marcus Ryan, the innocent man butchered in his own house. And then there was Winry.

'I have to save her. I just have to.' Ed thought. 'Winry doesn't deserve to die. She doesn't deserve any of this!' He glanced up at the sky. 'I've never prayed before in my life, but if anyone is listening up there. Please don't let Winry die! I'll never break her automail again. I'll call her every day. I'll...I'll tell that I love her. Whatever it takes, just please!'

Ed tore his eyes away from the sky and back towards the road in front of him. Now was not the time to get distracted. With renewed energy, Ed bolted down the dirt road. Ahead of him, somewhere in the darkness was his destination. A forgotten building where inside was the girl he was searching for.

Winry; his mechanic, childhood friend, and the girl who held his heart.

'Don't worry Winry. I'm coming.' Ed thought, hoping that somehow Winry could hear him.

As Ed jumped over a fallen tree his thoughts turned to the building's other occupant. A twisted man whose soul was blacker than the darkest night; Barry the Chopper.

'I won't let him get close to me.' Ed thought as he broke out in a run. 'I'll keep my distance this time and use alchemy to...take him out. He'll do his best to subdue me.' Ed thought. 'He'll want to drag this out.'

Ed could tell this because the Chopper was apparently keeping Winry alive. The purpose of the letter was to screw with Ed's head. If he was dragging out her torment to fuck with him, he would certainly drag out this. The Chopper's letter had promised more letters to come. Perhaps the Chopper had planned on psychology torturing Ed before finally going after him.

'I just have to be careful.' Ed thought. 'I'll have the element of surprise. He won't expect me to show up so soon. I just need that one moment.'

He continued to trek forward. Stepping over rocks, climbing hills, and running as fast as he could. He was still following the road, but ran off it whenever it twisted and contorted.

"No wonder no one knows this place is here." Ed muttered under his breath. "It's in the middle of nowhere."

He followed the path up another hill and then he froze.

There was someone lying on the road.

He could tell it was a person by the outline, but the light of the moon did not reveal anymore then that. He moved his way down the hill, eyeing the body carefully.

'This could be a trap.' Ed thought as he made his way forward. 'Some ploy to catch me off guard.'

Just to be safe he clapped his hands together and brushed the back of his automail hand. A sharp blade cut through the glove he was wearing, following his hand. Once his automail blade was long enough he began to move forward again, gritting his teeth like he was expecting an attack any second. His golden eyes glared in all directions, yet saw nothing. The only sounds he could hear were a light breeze in the distance. When he was about 20 feet away the light of the moon bounced off of something.

Blond hair.

Ed's eyes widened, his whole body going rigid. His automail arm, unmoving moments prior, was now trembling. His gaze traveled up and down her motionless body. She was lying on her stomach, her face in the dirt. Her limbs were sprawled out like some kind of broken puppet. He couldn't see her face but he knew it was her.

"WINRY!"

All thoughts of the Chopper and whatever traps he could have hatched immediately vanished. None of that mattered now. Ed had never run faster in his life, transmuting his automail blade away as he moved.

It had only taken him seconds to reach her, but to him it had felt like hours. He dropped to his knees the instant he reached her prone form. His hands grasped her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him. But it wasn't until he turned her in his arms and saw her face did it hit him.

He'd found her.

"Winry?" His voice cracked as his hand moved to her throat, checking for a pulse. 'Please be okay. Please be okay!' After a few tense moments he found one. But it was weaker than it should have been.

Ed sat on the ground, moving Winry onto his lap. He handled her as if she made of glass, not wanting to cause her any more injuries. His automail hand gently cradled her head while his flesh one pushed dirty, blood soaked hair out of the way. They revealed a pale face, with bruised lips and several bloody gashes. Ed felt his heart squeeze violently as he took in the state of her injuries.

Her face, particularly her chin, was covered in dark black bruises. A two inch long gash crossed her forehead, blood seeping out of it and down the side of her face. His eyes traveled from her face to the rest of her body where he gasped loudly. She was wearing very little clothing, only her miniskirt and tube top. Her exposed stomach was covered in cuts, most of them scabs. There were also multiple splinters, bruises, and scrapes. Smears of blood coated her skin, mixing in with dirt and other filth. The right side of her body was heavily bruised and swelling.

Blinking back tears, Ed's eyes then turned to her left hand. Most of the limb was coated in dry or mostly dry blood. Where her pinky finger should have been there was nothing. The hand was wrapped with a white fabric that looked like Winry's tank top. It was stained crimson red.

"Winry." Ed whispered sadly as he cradled her gently in his arms. Never before had he ever seen her in such an awful state. Tears were leaking out of his eyes and falling onto her face. "This is all my fault, I'm sorry Winry. I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe." He sobbed quietly into her hair.

The Chopper was going to have hell to pay.

Suddenly Winry's eyes cracked open.

Ed jumped in surprise, his arms wrapping themselves slightly tighter around her.

"Winry?" Her name came out as more as a beg than a question.

Winry's eyes were half lidded before she gasped and sucked in breath desperately. Her eyes now wide and frightful as they jumped all around. Her hands came up to him as if to push him away. They pressed weakly against his chest, as if she had no strength at all. Her breaths were coming out in pants; almost as if she couldn't breathe.

"Winry, it's me. It's Ed." Ed heard his voice crack again. "Can you hear me? I'm here; it's alright now." Shit, his emotions were treating to overwhelm him. He wanted to hug her and never let go. He wanted to kiss her and confess his feelings, but now was not the time.

Her eyes finally landed on him. Ed felt an electric shock when his golden eyes finally met her beautiful azure. Those eyes; the eyes that has haunted his thoughts for the last few months. The bright, lively eyes that he'd thought he might never see again. He couldn't help a small weak smile that formed on his lips.

"Hey Win." He said softly to her.

Winry's mouth opened as if she were trying to respond to him. Her injured looking lips opening and closing several times. Instead, all that came out was a sob as tears began to fall down her battered face. Her fingers dug into his jacket as her trembling hands gripped him.

Ed felt his heart break at the utter look of anguish on her face and he pulled her to his chest. Winry let out a gasping sound, drawing Ed's attention to her dry and cracked lips.

She needed water, fast.

Unwrapping one arm, he grabbed the water bottle from his jacket pocket. Ed unscrewed the cap before carefully tilting Winry back slightly.

"Here, drink this." Ed said soothingly as he brought the bottle to her mouth.

Winry's eyes dropped towards the bottle and her lips parted as he tilted the water into her mouth. In her current state Winry was unprepared for the incoming liquid. The water went down the wrong pipe causing her to cough and sputter rather violently.

"Sorry." Ed whispered as he poured the water in more slowly.

Winry's tense body relaxed slightly and she sighed as the cold water moved down her throat. After about a minute Winry had drunk half of the bottle. Ed decided it was enough and pulled the bottle back. Winry let out a small groaning sound and licked her now wet lips. Her eyes appeared to be more lucid and coherent, though she was still crying rather heavily.

"I've got you." Ed said to her as he rubbed his hand up and down her bare back. "You're safe, you got away. It's over now."

Winry's soft sobs were muffled by his shirt and she pulled back to look up at him with watery eyes.

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, you got it." Ed spoke determinedly. " _He_ won't hurt you anymore."

Winry nodded and hiccuped as the tears streamed down her dirty cheeks. "Edw...E-Edward." Winry's voice croaked out weakly. She sounded tired, scared, confused, yet relieved all at the same time.

Some tremors shook Winry's injured frame as she tried to talk. "Ed...I…so scared…never see you...again." She stuttered incoherently as sobs racked her body. Winry couldn't believe that she had found Ed, that she had escaped. Her emotions were a wreck.

"Shh, I've got you Winry." Ed cooed softly as he ran a hand reassuringly through hair.

"The Ch...the Chopper!" Winry gasped out.

"Is he following you Winry?" Ed asked as he glanced around the area, wrapping his arms protectively around her. "Did he chase you out?"

Winry's head turned from side to side. "Don't know...stabbed."

"Stabbed?" Ed narrowed his eyes. "Did he stab you?" He growled as he began to search her for any such injury.

"N-No." Winry said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Stabbed him."

Ed's eyes widened. "Did you kill him?" He asked after a moment.

"Don't...think so." Winry mumbled.

"Where is he?" Ed growled, his anger towards the Chopper raging inside him.

"Back at the place." Winry lifted a hand towards the direction she had come from.

Ed narrowed his eyes as he gazed in that direction. It looked safe for the moment.

"I'm going to take you back to Rush Valley." Ed said to her. "But first I need to take a look at you."

Her eyes were locked onto his, not leaving his face once. Relief, happiness, confusion, and some lingering fear swan through them. Ed's gaze moved up to the still bleeding wound on her head. As gently as possible he laid Winry on the ground. He then took his coat off and ripped off a strip at the bottom.

"Let me take a look at that head." Ed muttered as he began to tie the red strip around her head. Winry didn't protest while Ed secured the bandage with a knot.

"That good?" Ed asked.

Winry nodded before suddenly giving a gasp of pain when she moved her right arm.

"What is it?" Ed asked worriedly, his eyes full of concern.

"My...arm." She whispered as she clutched her arm. Ed looked it over. Along with several cuts and splinters there was a good amount of swelling and bruising

"Oh shit." He muttered, his voice laced with concern as well. "Is it broken?"

"Don't...know." Winry said. "...maybe fractured."

"Either way." Ed looked around for any nearby trees. He saw a small one a little bit off the road. Scooping a hand under her knees and another on her back, he picked her up. "I've messed up my real arm enough times to know how to help it."

As Ed carried Winry in his arms, he reveled in the fact that she was back and safe. But his thoughts also questioned how she had escaped or where exactly the Chopper was? 'I'll ask her in a moment. First I need to tend to her injuries. She's patched me up so many times, it's about time I return the favor.' He briefly glanced at the surrounding area. 'I need to get her out of here soon. Dammit, why did I send Paninya away with the car!'

He carried Winry over to the small tree and once again sat down. The tree was dead, but the wood still looked strong. He easily pulled it out of the ground with his metal hand and began to break it up.

Winry stared at Ed as he worked. His face was set in a frown. After getting a few sticks he also ripped off more pieces of the bottom of his coat.

"Oh." Winry said out loud when she realized what he was doing.

Before he did that however he handed her his coat.

"You need this more than I do." He said, leaving no room for argument.

Winry was lost in his sharp golden eyes that cut right through the darkness. They were like two guardian angels basking her in the light of their protection. She snapped out of her staring and gave a slight blush as she accepted the coat. It was very cold out. Winry slid her good arm into the sleeve and with help from Ed, got her injured one in as well.

With gentle fingers, Ed took her arm and began to make a makeshift splint. He used the small strips to tie the strong sticks to her arm. Thanks to the sleeve of the coat, the wood did not rub against Winry's already abused skin. Winry moved her arm around slightly before hugging it to her chest. The jacket itself was surprisingly big for her. The sleeves went beyond her hands and the coat pooled around her small frame.

'I guess Ed's really grown since the last time I've last seen him." Winry thought as she tried to pull the red fabric around her. She glanced up at him again, this time taking in certain features of his body. 'Have his shoulder's always been that broad?' She thought to herself, before realizing that this was the least appropriate time to be checking Ed out.

She was shaken from her thoughts by Ed's hand on her shoulder. Winry turned her head to see him looking down at concernedly. "Can you walk?"

Winry shook her head.

"That's okay." Ed once again scooped her up as if she didn't weigh anything. He gave her one more smile before setting off towards the direction that he had come. "Let's get out of here."

Winry weakly smile back, the look in his eyes filling her with warmth. She curled up against his chest. She felt safe.

Because she was with him.

She closed her eyes, finally ready to let sleep take her.

 _Slick!_

Winry's eyes jolted open as Ed cried out. His grip on her loosened and she fell to the ground in a painful heap. Ed himself fell straight to the ground, a searing pain in his back. He pushed himself up with a groan. His flesh hand reached around to his back and touched something metal. This action caused a whole new wave of pain to rip right through him. He could also feel warm blood seeping through his fingers.

A shape blow to Ed's stomach knocked him on his side. As he lay there dazed he could hear metal scraping against metal as a dark shape loomed over him.

" _Hello Edward."_

 **OoO**

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 **OoO**

 **Aren't cliffhangers the best?**

 **Just to let everybody know I'll try to update as soon as I can, but it might take a while. I'm going to start college in a few weeks so I'm probably going to be busy for a while. I'm sorry, I know this is like the worst chapter to leave it on but I'll do my best.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone, surprise! I was able to get a another chapter out before I had to leave.**

 **OoO**

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 **OoO**

" _Hello Edward."_

Ed felt the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. He gagged a little on it before spitting the red liquid out. His tongue glossed over his lips, feeling a gash that his teeth had created.

'What just happened?'

A sudden burst of pain caused Ed to cry out in agony. 'Where is that?….my back!'

Ed reached over his shoulder towards the source of the crippling pain. After a moment of searching his fingers touched something metal.

The metal hilt of a knife.

Ed gasped as his arm movement caused the knife buried in his back to cut deeper. Through the pain filled haze, he could faintly hear the sounds of approaching footsteps. Ed lifted his eyes and bored holes into the shadow looming above him, Barry the Chopper.

"You son of a bitch." He growled, trying to push himself up before screaming in pain as the knife in his back was viciously pulled out. The blade slid out of Ed, causing him to fall back on his stomach.

" _And thus the Shepherd has come for his little lamb. But only for he, himself, to become the wolf's prey."_ The Chopper chuckled as he stood up, his knife gleaming with Ed's blood. _I must say Edward, I wasn't expecting you for several more days. You've ruined my whole schedule."_ The killer then kicked Ed in the upper back, sending pain shooting all through his system. Ed's eyes clenched shut, tears forming. " _You really do have a knack for spoiling my fun."_

His eyes opened to glare up at the man standing above him. Moving quickly Ed rolled onto his side and clapped his hands together. But before he could slap them against the ground and transmute, the Chopper moved.

 _ **Crack**_ _!_

The killer brought his knee down hard against Ed's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Barry was on top of Edward, pinning his flesh arm against him. Ed grunted from the weight on top of him and tried to move his automail arm. When it didn't move he looked over at it. A long blade had pierced through the palm of his metal hand, pinning it to the ground. The steel fingers of the arm were twitching and unresponsive.

A cold chuckle brought Ed's attention back to man on top of him. His eyes widened in surprise. Barry the Chopper looked almost exactly the same as he had two years ago; except for his eye. What used to be Barry's right eye was now a bloody knife wound. A long red line ran across the demolished eyeball; blood and other bodily fluids flowed from it. Despite that, he was grinning like today was the best day of his entire life.

" _It really has been too long."_ His left eye gleamed maliciously, the blood from his wound dripping down onto Ed's face. " _You've gotten slightly taller and Winry's gotten far more beautiful."_

Ed growled and pushed up with all of his strength. Barry's face showed slight surprise as he was shoved off the young alchemist. The killer stumbled before catching himself with the hand holding the bloodied knife. Moving quickly, Ed jumped to his feet and charged the Chopper. He reared his flesh hand back and smashed Barry square in the face.

The serial killer fell back to the ground and rolled onto his feet, the two knives in his hand. Ed's back was burning and standing up so suddenly wasn't helping. He could feel warm blood running down his back. Ed grit his teeth, a bit hunched over, as he glared at the man in front of him. Mustering every ounce of strength, Ed took a defensive stance, ready for any attack.

Barry still had a look of absolute delight on his face. The blood falling down his face only made him look more demented. His tongue collected some of the blood as it past his mouth.

" _You don't know how good it feels to taste my own blood once again."_ He said with what sounded like a content sigh. " _To feel the essence of one's own body, it makes me feel alive."_

"You sick fuck!" Ed growled. "You hurt Winry!"

" _Yes I did."_ Barry smiled. " _But my real target was you Edward."_

He then lunged forward with speed that caught Ed off guard; his knives outstretched. Ed jumped back, doing his best to avoid the swinging blades. The Chopper slashed at Ed's face with his right knife. Ed swung his automail arm up to block it, but he missed the Chopper's left one.

Ed hissed as the knife nicked his right shoulder, stumbling back as he felt blood dripping down his arm.

" _It's always been you."_ Barry grinned as moved forward. " _You're the one who got away."_

Ed swung his metal arm clumsily at the Chopper, who easily dodged it.

" _Come on Edward."_ The Chopper said tauntingly. " _I was expecting more. I've been waiting years for this moment, don't disappoint me."_

With that Barry continued the attack, stabbing and slashing at Ed. Ed ducked under the blade and shot up, uppercutting the Chopper. Barry grunted and stumbled back. Ed pressed forward and slammed both fists into the serial killer's chest. Barry gave a wheeze and hunched over, only for Ed to viciously backhand him across the face. This knocked Barry to the ground. The Chopper rolled with his fall and was quickly back on his feet. Ed quickly dealt out a roundhouse kick, knocking the knife out of Barry's right hand.

" _That's more like it."_ The Chopper spat a mouthful of blood into the dirt. He was enjoying this; immensely.

Ed's breaths were coming out in angry huffs. "I'm going to fucking rip you apart; you bastard."

" _My, my, it sounds like you want to kill me."_ Barry chuckled as he took in Ed's hunched over, injured form. Although it was too dark to see, the Chopper could tell that the wound on Ed's back was hurting like a bitch. Barry's grin only increased as an idea formed. He was going to enjoy this. " _You'll have to try harder. Winry put up more of a fight then you."_

The taunt caused Ed to lunge forward with a cry of fury. Barry retreated, stepping back to avoid Ed's attacks. Ed slapped his hands together as he charged and brought the automail blade out again. Barry's retreat came to a stop as he waited for Ed to come at him. Ed raised his metal arm and then swung it down, arming for Barry's head. The Chopper brought his own blade up to meet it.

 _ **Clang!**_

Ed's eyes widened in surprise and he scrambled back to avoid Barry's next attack. The Chopper's swing just barely missed cutting Ed's chest, creating a large rip on his leather coat. When he was a safe distance away he looked down at his metal arm. The automail blade had been completely cut off, leaving only a broken tip. The Chopper's knife had cut through the metal like a cake. It had been the same one that Barry had used to stab his hand.

" _Impressive, isn't it."_ The Chopper chuckled as he advanced on Ed. " _I made this particular knife just for your automail. I've spent days sharpening the blade. I guess you could call it my special knife. It's actually the the same knife I used to cut Winry's finger off."_

Ed growled and moved forward to attack. However, a sharp stab of pain in his back caused him to fall to one knee.

" _Does that hurt?"_ Barry asked. " _I believe I hit you somewhere on your latissimus dorsi muscle, located about somewhere between your lungs and liver. I wouldn't worry too much about it."_

He then lunged forward with his special knife, aiming at the young alchemist's throat. Ed had no choice but to block with his automail arm.

 ** _Sling!_**

Ed stumbled back from the force of the blow. He quickly regained his balance before examining his arm. The blade had once again cut right through the metal. A inch and a half deep cut ran across the arm. Cutting wires and almost severing the entire arm itself.

'Fuck! My arm can't take another hit like that.' Ed thought before diverting his attention back towards his opponent.

Barry reached down and grabbed a large rock. He then hurled it at Ed, who rolled out of the way. When he rose up, the Chopper was already on top of him. With a grin, Barry raised a foot and kicked Ed in the face. With a grunt Ed fell onto his back, dazed. An instant later agonizing pain exploded in Ed's lower stomach. He gasped in pain, jolting up into a sitting position just to get kicked in the face again. He fell back to the ground with a pained groan, blood pouring from his nose. His eyes clenched shut before shooting open as something was twisted in his lower stomach. Ed gasped in pain and looked down to his to see the Chopper wrenching a knife out of his small intestine.

" _I would be concerned about that though."_

For a moment he couldn't move a single muscle, his arms felt like weights. 'Keep fighting! Don't give up. Use alchemy.' Ed gave a growl and tried clapping his hands to transmute. But Barry brought his foot down on the stab wound. Ed lurched forward, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Ed fell back to the ground and tried to roll to the side. He was halted by a kick that sent him on to his back. Ed could see the Chopper standing above with a sick triumphant grin on his face. Ed gritted his teeth and turned to his automail hand. Although the blade on his hand had been mostly severed, there was still a really sharp tip left. Glancing back up he saw the Chopper had the knife raised, preparing to stab him again.

" _I'll tell you the same thing that I told Winry. This is only going to hurt a lot."_ He chuckled before bringing the knife down fast, aiming for Ed's flesh arm. This time Ed was able to roll out of the way, just barely dodging the knife as it impaled the ground. The Chopper was now hunched over the ground, only inches away from him. Seeing an opportunity, Ed lifted his automail and plunged what remained of his automail blade into the killer's side.

A strangled gasp left the Chopper's lips as the blade pierced his side; about six inches below his left armpit. Ed twisted his arm as blood began to run down the metal limb. Barry made a choking sound before gripping the automail limb. With a cry that could only be described as animalistic, he wrenched the blade out of him. This action almost caused the killer to lose his balance; leaving him wide open.

Moving quickly Ed kicked his automail foot out, knocking Barry off of his feet. As the Chopper fell to the ground Ed was finally able to clap his hands. He slapped them together then brought his hands to the ground, causing alchemic sparks to fill the air. The Chopper tried to angle his body away from the oncoming spike, but it pierced him through his shoulder.

The serial killer let out a hiss as the rock cut through his skin. He was now partly suspended above the ground by the spike in his shoulder. With a pained grunt the Chopper gripped the spike and began attempting to wrench himself free.

Ed painfully pushed himself up into a sitting position, one of his hands went to lower stomach. There he felt warm liquid flowing over his fingers. 'God Dammit!' He thought as a shudder went through his body. 'This is not good. I'm losing this fight. He's gotten me three times already. I don't know if I can keep...Wait! Where's Winry!'

Due to the confusion of the last few moments, Ed hadn't seen her. The last thing he remembered was holding her before the Chopper threw the knife into him. After that the two of them had fallen and-

'There she is!'

Ed spotted Winry laying several feet away, sprawled face down on the ground. Her body was motionless and she appeared to be unconscious. It was hard to tell in the darkness but she appeared to be breathing. Ed wanted nothing more than to run over to Winry and take her in his arms, but this fight wasn't over. Reluctantly turning away from her, Ed focused back on the Chopper. Barry had hacked his way through the rock and pulled out the piece inside of him. With a growl the Chopper tossed the sharpened rock aside and turned towards Ed.

Ed brought his hands together, only wincing slightly from the pain of his various stab wounds. When his hands collided however, he heard a crack. Time seemed to slow down as several joints fell out of the automail. As they fell, the top half of the arm went as well, leaving it dangling by wires. Ed was so preoccupied by his automail breaking that he didn't see Barry charging him. The force of the Chopper crashing into Ed knocked him off his feet. Ed flew back and fell down a small rocky ravine.

Ed tumbled down the hillside, unable to stop himself. He felt every thud. Everytime he collided against the ground or bounced off a rock it was like another stab wound. Although the fall was only seconds, it felt like minutes for him. Eventually Ed stopped rolling and came to a stop at the bottom, bruised and bloody.

Back up the hill, Barry chuckled. This chuckle turned into a gagging cough as he spit out a mouthful of blood. His hacking cough forced him to his knees as the wounds in his chest dripped into the desert floor. His hand moved up towards the wound. It was more towards the center of his chest than his shoulder. The wound beneath his armpit was bleeding heavily as well.

Pushing himself up the Chopper slowly made his way down the slope. Fullmetal was laying at the bottom, the fight seemingly out of him. Barry stumbled as he walked, his breaths coming out labored. One step caused the dirt under him to give way and he found himself sliding down the hill as well. Only he was sliding down on his back, while Ed had been a violent tumble. When Barry reached the bottom he came to a stop near Ed. From his position on the ground Barry could see the sky above him. It was a perfectly clear sky. No trace whatsoever of the bad weather of the previous days.

" _That's a pretty sight, wouldn't you say Edward?"_ Barry turned his head to look at the young alchemist.

Ed had come out of his daze and was attempting to push himself up. Without a word Barry swung the special blade, cutting off Ed's automail at the port. Without any support from his right side, Ed fell back to the hard ground. Barry gave a tired sigh and turned to look back at the stars.

" _Very pretty sight."_ He said almost wistfully. " _A person could die looking at this and be just fine with that."_

A few moments of silence passed after that, until Barry started laughing. It started as a quiet laugh, nothing more than a chuckle. It grew from there until the point where he was throwing his head back with mad laughter. Ed merely laid there watching the Chopper through heavy eyes; too weak to move.

Still laughing Barry sat up and kicked Ed over. Ed was pushed onto his back so that he could also look up at the sky. Barry then climbed on top of him, straddling the tired alchemist. Barry gave a grin as he stared at his exhausted opponent. Ed's left eye was swollen shut from hitting it against a rock, but his right was unobstructed. His flesh arm moved up to grasp Barry by the throat. Barry caught this, however, and tossed Ed's hand to the side.

" _This has been a fun night, hasn't it?"_ Barry questioned.

Ed said nothing and spot a mouthful of blood in his opponent's face. Barry didn't react at all and continued to look down at Ed.

" _You should save all the blood you can, Edward."_ Barry said. " _It's very bad to run out of it."_

This was followed by Barry coughing up some more of his own blood.

" _I need to follow my own advice."_ Barry said with a shake of his head. " _Looks like we're both spent Edward. I don't even think I have the strength to climb up that hill and carve up Winry's beautiful throat. I'll try though."_ With that the Chopper began to stand up.

Ed grabbed the Chopper by his sleeve, his own eyes burning with fury. "You leave her alone you fucking bastard! Don't you touch her!"

Barry looked at Ed with mock bewildered before giving a sigh. " _You should really be concerned about yourself. Instead all you're worried about is Winry. After all these years, you're still trying to save her. Truly touching."_ Barry grabbed Ed's arm and twisted it until he released his jacket. The Chopper then brought his fist back and clocked Ed right in the face.

The back of Ed's head hit the dirt ground and for a moment he threatened to black out. Ed gasped out a breath as his vision blurred before becoming clear.

" _Don't go out on me now."_ Barry said, one of his hands tracking to Ed's stomach. " _We can finally talk."_

As soon as he stopped talking, he jammed his fingers into the knife wound in Ed's chest. Ed screamed in agony as Barry twisted his digits inside the bloody wound. Ed tried thrashing and kicking, but the Chopper successfully held him down. Ed gritted his teeth and grabbed Barry's arm with his one remaining hand. He pulled on it with all his strength, but it wasn't enough.

" _For two years I sat in a prison cell. No windows, no paintings, nothing; just four blank walls and a roof. When you carve up twenty two people they don't put you with other prisoners. I was alone in permanent solitary confinement. I thought I was going to lose my mind. But I didn't."_ Barry then ceased fingering Ed's wound and wiped his fingers on Ed's face. " _The thought of you kept me sane. Thoughts about escaping, of hurting you, of watching you squirm. Don't worry you weren't alone, I thought about Winry too."_

Ed could barely see, the pain was too much. His whole damn body was on fire. "Fuck you. You fucking inhuman piece of shit!" Ed growled.

" _Inhuman? I'm inhuman you say?"_ Barry's grin was an amused one. " _Why? Because I hurt other humans? Because I kill other humans? I guess to someone as ignorant as you, I would appear inhuman."_

The Chopper started to laugh as if he'd just been told the funniest joke ever. Ed could only lay there, glaring at him in fury.

" _But Ed, don't you see. What I do_ _ **is**_ _human. I'm just as human as the next man. Think about it: we rob, maim, rape, humiliate, and kill our own kind every second of everyday. That's what I love about humanity. Killing each other is in our very blood, it is our primordial instinct Edward. We all come from different cultures, and speak different languages. But through death and killing we are all the same. Underneath the masks and false faces we're all animals! Taking life is what unites us all and yet you call me crazy? I kill therefore I am. That's what it means to be human!"_

A sudden cough interrupted the Chopper's speech before a gurgling sound escaped his lips. Ed winced as warm liquid landed on his face. Barry brought one hand up to wipe at his mouth; the other hand held the knife. He then pulled his hand back to examine it, Ed could see moonlight reflecting off the blood that covered the killer's appendage.

" _Such a precious thing."_ The Chopper murmured, staring at his hand as blood slowly dripped out of the corner of his mouth. He then gave a humorless chuckle. " _You know what? I'm not ready to die just yet. I can survive these scratches. There's still more people I want to kill."_ It sounded like he was talking to himself rather than Edward.

Ed was having a hard time focusing, his vision kept blurring in and out. The blood loss and blows to his head were starting to get to him. 'He won't get out of here before the military shows up! At least they'll get him...Winry can survive this if he just keeps talking.'

Barry smiled as if he had just heard Ed's thoughts.

" _Look at me. Rambling on and on just when it looks like I can't be beat. As I recall that's what foiled me in that butcher shop."_ Barry started to moved his knife's to Ed's throat.

" _It's time to end this."_

Ed grabbed Barry's wrist and tried his best to keep the blade away from him. He pushed back with every thing he had left, with every ounce of strength. Barry just smiled and pressed the knife down further. It was only inches away from his flesh.

" _I had wanted this to last longer."_ Barry coughed a little. " _I would have striped you of everything you had."_

The strain was starting to get to much for Ed. He grunted as he tried to fight back; to keep the knife away. But it wasn't enough. His arm wouldn't hold out much longer!

The knife was only centimeters away now; get closer, closer…

"Hey asshole!"

" _Huh?"_

The shout was followed by the sounds of clumsy steps and scattering pebbles. Barry stopped pressing the blade down and quickly turned his head towards the source of the sound. The Chopper's change in position allowed Ed to see what, or more like who was making the noises. He gasped at what he saw.

It was Winry!

She was stumbling down the hillside, Ed's red coat flowing around her.

"Leave him alone!" Winry shouted as she came to a stop near the base of the hill. Her left arm was pulled back as if she was going to throw a baseball. Whatever was in her hand gleamed in the moonlight. With a huff she threw the metal object in her hand. The shining object spun in the air as it quickly came towards them. Barry tried to move his head but the metal object sliced across his face, carving a red line from the right side of his jaw to his left ear. The metal object stuck into the ground, revealing itself to be the knife that Barry had dropped earlier.

Barry growled in pain, one of his hands coming up to bleeding face. Ed felt the pressure of the knife lessen against his throat. Seizing this opportunity Ed bit down on the hand holding the knife. Barry yelped as Ed drew blood. Moving fast, Ed's left arm reached out and grabbed for his broken automail. His hand quickly wrapped around the metal limb. Ed's teeth bit down one last time, causing Barry to drop the knife. With that out of the way, Ed swung the metal arm like a club as hard as he could. Right at the Chopper's head.

 _ **Crack!**_

Barry's jaw broke under the force of the metal crashing into his face. It also knocked him off of Ed completely and onto the hard desert ground.

Ed sucked in a breath as the Chopper's weight was taken off of him. That final swing was the last strength that he had in him. He curled into his side as the sound of hurried footsteps came closer to him before kneeling down.

"Ed!"

Ed felt hands grabbing him and propping his body up. His eyes cracked open to see beautiful pools of azure blue looking down upon him. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she stared down at him; worry etched all over her face.

"Ed can you hear me?" Winry cried. Now her eyes were getting misty. Soon Ed's vision cleared and he could see more than just Winry's eyes. He could see her face, her perfect face. Despite the bruises and the cuts, she still looked as beautiful as ever to him. But now with the moonlight illuminating her like that, it stole his breath away. Ed was literally shaken out of his daze by Winry's hands on his shoulders.

"Ed?!" Winry cried again, her voice even more worried by the lack of response.

Before Ed could answer, they heard a quiet groan from the side. Winry glanced over and saw the Chopper laying there unconscious. Her face darkening, she grabbed the knife that she had thrown. She was about to move when she felt Ed's hand on her arm.

"Winry don't." He said weakly.

"What?" Winry asked incredulously.

"Don't kill him." Ed winced in pain.

Winry looked at him like he was crazy. "He has to die Ed. After everything he's done to us, he has to die."

"Not like this." Ed moved his hand to take the knife out of her hand. She resisted at first but eventually allowed the metal to slide from her hand.

"Hand me that stick." Ed pointed to a small twig close to them. Winry reached over and grabbed it. She handed it to Ed who rolled onto his stomach. Ed started carving into the dirt with the twig. As he did this Winry took in the state of Ed's injuries.

"Ed…" She whispered her hand reaching out and touching his bloodstained shirt. She brought it back and gasped at how red her hand was. 'He's lost so much blood.'

"Ed...you're hurt." Her voice came out as a whisper. 'I'm sorry.'

Winry knew that she had to stop the bleeding. Grabbing the red coat around her, she began ripping it like Ed had done earlier for her. While she started to tear strips from the coat, Ed finished the circle he had drawn. He weakly slapped his hand against the transmutation circle before it fell down limp. Bright sparks went up around the Chopper as a small pillars rose out of the ground. Soon a small cage formed around him. The bars were two inches thick and made of pure stone.

'Good luck getting out of there, bastard.'

Ed rested his head against the dirt, seemingly unaware of Winry removing his shirt. She needed to get a look at his injuries. Winry pulled the black fabric off of Ed before gasping at what she saw. Although it was dark out, the moonlight still illuminated the dark stains of blood covering Ed chest. He was hurt, bad; hurt trying to save her. Tears were forming in her eyes again. Ed was hurt because of her, he had fought for her!

'Get a hold of yourself! He needs me!'

With slightly shaking hands she grabbed the strips of red fabric. She then wrapped two long strips around his back and his stomach wound. She then tied them tightly to try and prevent any more blood loss. Once Ed's serious injuries were taken care of, Winry then used the lasts strips to wrap the cut on his shoulder and the gash on his head. When she was done, she barely had any coat left to wear. Winry then gently moved Ed until his head rested on her lap. She then looked him over and was satisfied that her bandages would hold. Once she was done Winry sat back and gave a sigh of relief. She almost jumped when Ed's hand reached up and touched her cheek. Winry glanced down to see him looking up at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked with concern.

Winry's jaw dropped before a weak smile formed. "You stupid, brave idiot." She sighed. Why was he always so selfless?

Ed suddenly gave a small groan of pain and shifted in her lap.

"Oh Ed...We need to get you help." Winry reached under Ed's shoulder to get some leverage on him.

"We just need to get to the road." Ed said pointing to the slope above them. "Paninya's coming with help soon. If we get on the road, they'll see us."

"Then let's go." Winry helped Ed sit up. Ed winced at the movement, but sucked it up as he stood up on his legs. Leaning against Winry, the two of them made their way towards the hill. The Chopper lay in his cage unconscious.

Ed's wounds were burning, every step hurt. But he kept moving, forcing himself to keep going. they had to get to the top of the hill; they weren't out of this yet. He tried to not put too much weight on Winry as she herself was injured as well. But her grip on Ed only tightened as she helped him up the hillside. It was difficult and slow, Winry could only support him with one arm as her other was too injured. They stumbled over rocks and almost lost their balance on the sliding pebbles. Yet the two of them refused to stop pushing forward.

"Come on Ed, we're almost there." Winry said through heavy breaths. "Just a little further."

"Who are you calling little?" Ed said with a chuckle, Winry resisted the urge to slap him.

"I'd hit you right now, but I'm worried it might finish you off." Winry muttered.

"Try and wait until help arrives." Ed grunted. "At least then you'd be safe."

Winry stopped walking to look at Ed. She saw him staring back at her with a hint of reverence in his eyes. She stared back for a few moments before she looked back ahead of her, a blush forming on her cheeks.

After a few steps, Ed winced and stumbled. Winry had to wrap her bad arm around him, causing her to give a small cry.

Ed's heart dropped at the pained sound she made. Glancing over, he saw that she was sweating like crazy. Her breaths were coming out in labored pants. Every step she took looked as if it hurt like hell.

"Just drop me." Ed said, panting. "I'm just slowing you down."

"Are you nuts? No way in hell Ed!"

"Please Winry, I don't know if I'm-"

"Hey shut up with that!" Winry said, her face scrunching up with anger. "You're not going to die, so don't say things like that."

Winry stopped berating him when she saw the look of pain on his face. She then looped his left arm around her shoulder; taking the brunt of his weight.

"Come on."

Several minutes passed before they finally reached the summit, both of them toppling over onto the road. Ed groaned and rolled onto his side to avoid further stressing his wounds. He lay there panting for several moments before he heard Winry crawling over to him. He turned his head just as she wrapped her arm around his waist and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Winry?"

"Thank you." She whispered tearfully. "Thank you Ed."

Ed turned his head so that he was looking her in the eyes. "You don't have to thank me Winry. I'd…I'd do anything for you. I mean it."

Once again Winry felt a blush on her cheeks. She glanced away so he wouldn't see, not that it mattered since it was dark. As she stared off into the distance, her eyes traveled to the bottom of the hill. Winry frowned deeply and sat up so that she good see Ed's face better.

"Why?" She asked quietly as she looked down at him. "Why did you stop me?"

Ed's hand went to her left hand, which he gripped. "I wanted to kill him too. I know he deserved it and I know he hurt you Winry. But if you, or I, had killed him…" He said, looking straight into her eyes. "We would have proven him right."

Winry's brow creased slightly in confusion but decided to go more in depth with Ed about this at a later time. At least the Chopper had been taken care of and they were safe.

A flash of light in the distance caught their attention. The two teenagers both turned to look at the direction that it had come from. They could still see the light, turning and moving, as if someone was waving a flashlight around.

"What is it?" Ed asked, trying to stand up only to be pushed down by Winry. Ed grunted but allowed himself to be laid down. Winry held his hand and stood up.

Winry squinted to look in the distance. The lights, for now there were more, continued to move around until two bright beans came over a hill.

Winry smiled and gave Ed's hand a squeeze.

"We're going to be okay Ed."

 **OoO**

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 **Yay, they're safe!**

 **Ok, so the same warning from the last author's note applies to this one. I do plan to release a final chapter for this story, but it may take quite a while for that. I hope you've all enjoyed this story so far and please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the long wait. College has been kicking my ass.**

 **There will probably be one more chapters of Little Lambs after this. When I first starting writing it, I only intended it to be a few chapters and end rather quickly. But your reviews convinced me to expend the story a little and have more detail. Thank you for that.**

 **I've had a lot of fun writing for Barry. Personally I think he's one of the more underrated FMA villains. A few others being the Gold Toothed Doctor and (especially) Atlas from Star of Milos.**

 **Just to let you know that this chapter will be featuring some PTSD and trauma related to kidnapping. Possible trigger warning.**

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A blur.

That's the only word Winry could use to describe the moments of their rescue. One second Ed and her were standing at the top of the hill watching the lights of the vehicles coming closer. The next, she was being lifted off the ground and then placed onto a gurney. She remembered hearing Al and Paninya's voices, but couldn't see them. She could faintly see soldiers lifting Ed up, but before she knew it, she was in the back of an ambulance.

The ride was bumpy, this road wasn't meant to be driven on. But Winry barely noticed that. She did notice a blanket being placed over her. The attendants hovered above her, checking her injuries and asking her questions. She mumbled out simple answers as tears formed in her eyes. The adrenaline that had fueled her during the fight with Barry was fading as reality set in.

She was going to be okay.

But what about Ed?

Winry quickly sat up and glanced around the vehicle. Besides the attendants, she was its only passenger. Ed must have been in a different ambulance.

Winry felt anxiety building in her at the thought of Ed. Was he okay? Was he going to make it? His injuries were far worse than her's.

Winry was shaken out of her thoughts by hands gently pushing her down. "Take it easy, Miss. You should rest, don't worry, we'll be at the hospital soon." Said one of the attendants as he lay her back in the gurney. He was relatively young with light brown hair.

"Ed-Edward w-where…" Winry's voice came out scared and meek.

"Major Elric is in an ambulance as well. There's no need to worry; he's in good hands." The young attendant assured her with a smile. This only calmed her down a little. She wouldn't be satisfied until she saw Ed and that stupid cocky grin of his.

"I want to see him." She said, this time with more determination. Winry knew that she sounded like a whining child but she didn't care. She had to know, without a single doubt, that Ed was okay.

"Sorry, Miss." The attendant said as he swathed the skin around her elbow with a disinfectant wipe. In his other hand he held a needle for an IV. "But our responsibility is to get you safely to the hospital as soon as possible." He moved to insert the IV in but leaned back when Winry tried to kick him.

"Listen to me." Winry said desperately. "He's my friend."

"I understand." The attendant said patiently. "But right now, you're dehydrated and sleep deprived, so let's try and focus on fixing you up."

The attendant then held up the IV needle causing Winry's eyes to widen. Her stomach immediately fell sick at the thought of it cutting through her skin. The Chopper had cut her many times in many different places. None of them were too deep or too long, but she had hated everyone of them.

The attendant moved to try and insert the needle again, but she wrenched her arm away. Winry couldn't bare the thought of anything sharp touching her skin. Not after what she'd been through.

"Now Ms. Rockbell." He was starting to sound aggravated. "Please don't struggle, we don't know how extensive your injuries are." But Winry was beyond listening at this point and continued to protest.

"Please y-you don't have to do that." Winry stammered, her eyes still watching the needle nervously. It was small, but it was still sharp and metal.

'Why am I so scared?' She thought while she continued to push against the attendant's arm.

"Yes we do-" He was cut off by the needle being knocked from his grasp by Winry's flailing limbs.

The attendant looked down at her frantic state for a few moments before glancing unsurely at his partner. The other attendant sighed and gave a nod. The young man shook his head before turning around to grab something. He turned back towards her and appeared to be holding what looked like an oxygen mask in his hand.

"What is that?" She questioned.

"Its ok." He said calmly. "This is just to help you relax."

Winry didn't like the sound of that. "No...don't." She said. "Let me see Ed. I have to see Ed."

"You'll see him when you wake up." The attendant sighed, lowering the mask to her face. "But right now you need to calm down."

Winry paled at the thought of losing consciousness; of being knocked out. The last time she had been 'knocked out' was when the Chopper had taken her.

"I said no!" Winry tried pushing the mask away, but she was too weak. The other attendant gently took her arms and held them down. Unfortunately the sensation of being restrained only caused Winry to struggle more.

'They're restraining me.' Suddenly she mind was filled with images of metal chains and cold manacles. 'Oh god, not again.'

"Let go of me!" Winry begged, feeling tears form in her eyes again. The man's grip on her wrist might as well have been steel. That was what his hands felt like, steal. Restricting her movements, leaving her helpless. It was unbearable.

"Don't touch m-" Her protest was cut off by the attendant placing the mask on her face.

"I'm sorry we have to do this." The attendant said. "But you're in no condition to be straining yourself."

That was the last thing Winry heard before she blacked out.

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Winry woke up to the sound of beeping. Her eyes slowly opened to look at a white hospital room. Her eyes closed almost instantly, not use to light after so much darkness. Soft blankets greeted her as well as she became more aware of her surroundings. Her right arm and shoulder were in a cast. Her left hand was bandaged, the missing finger evident through the wrapping.

Winry winced as feeling returned to the rest of her body. She wasn't in any pain, but goddamn, was she sore.

Winry frowned as she felt weight on her forehead. Slowly lifting her left arm, she felt her head. Her fingers touched a bandage that was wrapped around her forehead.

'I'm in the hospital.' Winry realized as she saw that she was wearing a hospital gown. Suddenly she remembered how she got there. 'Those assholes! They knocked me out. Oh, when I get my hands on them-'

Winry was shaken from her revenge plot by the all too familiar creaking sound of a door opening. Her breath caught in her throat and suddenly she was no longer in a hospital room.

Opening her eyes, Winry saw she was facing three rotting, decomposing walls. She was back in _the room_ , chained. It was dark, cold, and petrifying. The creaking of the door signaling that her tormentor has returned to-

"Winry! You're finally awake. Thank god, some of us were starting to get worried."

Winry blinked, that wasn't the Chopper's voice. Glancing around, she gave a sigh of relief when she once again saw the white walls and ceiling.

Using her elbows to prop herself up, Winry saw a familiar man in a doctor's uniform standing in the doorway. His name was Bryan Stewart. At age 63, he was the head surgeon at Rush Valley's hospital. Winry had met him several times during her stay in Rush Valley.

"Dr. Stewart?" Her voice came out soft.

"Yes, Winry." The elderly man greeted with a smile. "Good morning."

"Morning?" Winry questioned. Wasn't it still night out?

"Actually it's a little later than that." He said glancing his pocket watch. "It's just past noon. You've been asleep for quite a while. I heard you had a rough ride here, I must apologize for that."

Winry blinked and glanced around the room. Her eyes widened when she saw a small pile of boxes, flowers, and cards next to the bed. They appeared to be presents.

Stewart followed her gaze and chuckled. "Get well gifts from your clients. Word of your rescue has spread quickly."

Winry had so many questions. She sat up in bed as the words started pouring from her mouth. "What happened? Where's Ed? Is he alright? Is-"

A sharp sting in her side caused Winry to gasp and fall back on the bed. Dr. Stewart was immediately by her side with a hand on her shoulder. "Easy there girl, you're still a little worse for wear."

Winry winced as the ache in her stomach slowly went away. "How bad?" She said through slightly gritted teeth.

Stewart pulled up a chair and sat down next to the bed. He held up her medical chart and began to read off of it. "Nothing life threatening. Your right arm is broken. Your left Ulna bone is fractured as is 4 ribs on your right side. You also have a mild concussion." Dr. Stewart was famous for his blunt bedside manner.

Winry grimaced. "What about…" She held up her left hand.

Stewart frowned sadly. "I'm sorry Winry, but we won't be able to reattach your left pinky finger."

She gave a sigh. 'That's okay. I can live without a pinky. Ed has lost a lot more and yet-oh shit!'

Winry's eyes widened and she turned to Stewart with a panicked look. "What about Edward? Is he-Oh god, please tell me he's okay!"

The elderly Doctor raised his hand to silence her. "Calm down, it's alright. Edward is going to be fine."

"But he was stabbed-are you sure?" Winry's hands gripped the sheets. If anything happened to Edward, she'd never forgive herself.

"Yes, yes." Stewart suddenly sounded tired, as if he hadn't slept the previous night. Winry had a suspicion that he hadn't. "Don't worry I patched him up myself."

Winry felt relief wash over her like a title wave. She began to open her mouth, but was cut off.

"And before you ask no, you can't see him."

Winry deflated at that. "Why?" She asked, remembering the weird circumstance in the ambulance.

"Several reasons. One, I don't want you leaving this room until you're injuries have been allowed to heal properly. Second, Edward is asleep right now and will be for some time. Third, there are several people who want to see you."

Before Winry could ask who these people were, she heard the door slamming open.

"Winry!"

Winry turned to the sound of the familiar voice and her eyes widened.

"Granny?" She said as her voice cracked.

The short elderly woman quickly made her way over to the bed and threw her arms around her granddaughter. Winry hugged her back. After a few moments Pinako pulled back, her hands cupping Winry's face.

"Oh, my dear." Pinako whispered as she looked Winry up and down. "Are you alright? What did he do to you?"

"It's ok, Granny, I'm fine." Winry brought her left hand up to cover one of Pinako's.

Pinako removed her hands from Winry's face and gently grasped her left hand. She pulled it closer so she could stare at the missing finger. Her eyes were wide behind her heavily glasses.

"They...they'd told me about this but I…" Pinako said softly. "I didn't want to believe it."

"It's only a finger." Winry said quietly. "We've both seen hundreds of people with worst injuries."

"This should never have happened to you." Pinako said, suddenly angry. "Who's in charge of the damn military in this town. I'll wring their incompetent necks."

"You may have to get in line Ms. Rockbell." Drawled another familiar, deep voice from the doorway. "Trust me when I say that heads will roll."

Everyone's head turned to see Colonel Roy Mustang standing in the doorway. Seeing that the room was quickly getting full, Stewert stood up and excused himself.

"You!" Pinako said angrily. Pinako had never forgiven Mustang for 'forcing' Ed and Al to join the military. Needless to say she wasn't very happy to see him. "Was dragging those poor boys back into hell not enough for you so you let my granddaughter get abducted?"

"Granny!" Winry gasped.

Mustang frowned at Pinako's remark as he strolled into the room. He looked tired.

"It is good to see that you are safe and sound Miss Rockbell." He said genuinely to Winry before addressing both of them. "Let me assure both of you that the military is accepting full responsibility for the Chopper's escape. As well as for failing to provide you with protection following said escape. The Chopper is now back in custody, and this time he won't get away."

"And is that supposed to make this whole mess of a situation any better?" Pinako folded her arms across her chest.

Mustang sighed and shook his head. "Probably not, but I can at least pay for all of Miss Winry's hospital bills and expenses. As well as Fullmetal's."

"That's the least you should do, Flame Alchemist." Pinako spat.

Winry glanced between her grandmother and Ed's superior officer. She knew that Pinako had never liked the Colonel. Even before he stormed into their house, pushing her to the side to yell at Ed. Mustang's time in Ishval was well known across the country. As the mother of a doctor who'd gone to that hellhole to save lives, Pinako could never bring herself to respect a person like that. This had left a sour taste in Winry's mouth as well. But that had changed on the day of the Chopper incident two years prior.

Once she had been led out of the butchers shop, Mustang had draped a blanket around her. After that, he waited with her until an ambulance arrived. He made sure she was in good hands before heading over to Ed who was being comforted by Alphonse. After that she'd see him a lot when she had to come in to fix Ed's limbs. She'd actually gotten to meet most of Ed's military friends on these trips. Lieutenant Riza was always nice. As were the other men in Mustang's squad, Falman, Havoc, Fuery, and Breda. They would always tease Ed when she was around and Ed would always get flustered. It was cute. She'd spend a lot of time there because of Ed's obsession with breaking her automail where she was even on a first name basis with all of them. But she still referred to Mustang as Colonel out of respect.

This familiarity allowed her to just walk into the office. That was how she ended up on a train with the Colonel and Riza to Milos.

"It's not his fault Granny." Winry said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Both Pinako and the Colonel turned to look at her.

"I'm sure he did his best to help me." Winry said, looking at her grandmother who looked back at her in surprise. She then looked at Mustang. "You've done so much to help Ed and Al; I want to thank you for that. I don't blame you for what happened to me."

If Mustang was suprised by her words, he didn't show it. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Thank you Miss Rockbell. I'll leave you and your grandmother alone now." He then turned and began to exit the room.

"Wait!" Winry blurted out, causing the Colonel to stop and look back at her. "H-how's Ed? Dr. Stewart says I can't see him until tomorrow."

Mustang gave Winry a small smile. "Edward is going to be fine. It'll take more than a few knife wounds to stop him." He then turned to leave but stopped. "Apparently Fullmetal's been drifting in and out of consciousness for the last few hours. Alphonse told me that he's been repeating the same word over and over."

Winry's eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?"

Mustang's smile turned into a small, teasing smirk.

"Your name."

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

The next few hours passed slowly for Winry. After her grandmother had left to find a place to stay, Paninya and Mr. Garfiel stopped by. Like Pinako, they asked how she was and doted over her injuries. According to them, her automail patients were lining the streets hoping to get a glimpse that she was alright. Their gifts were piling up in the lobby. This news brought a blush to Winry's face.

"Am I really that popular?" Winry asked with a small smile causing Paninya to chuckle.

"Well you are the best mechanic in town so yeah you are."

Garfield meanwhile was critiquing her hospital room, particularly the bed."I mean look at these pillows, they might as well have you leaning on rocks. Oh dearie, your neck must be killing you."

Winry couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. Garfiel always found ways to amuse her. Turning away from him, she looked back at Paninya.

"Hey, have you heard anything about-"

"Ed?" Paninya cut her off with a smirk. "He's fine."

Winry sighed irritably and leaned back into the apparently rock like pillows. "That's what everyone in this damn hospital keeps telling me! He's fine. He's okay. But that's it. No one will tell me anything else!"

Paninya gave her a sympathetic look. "Trust me, he is." Paninya then sat down on the side of the bed. "He woke up about an hour ago, him and Alphonse have been talking ever since."

Winry's eyes widened. "Ed's awake." With that she began to push the blanket off of her.

"Oh no you don't." Paninya said as she stopped her. "Doctor says you're to stay in bed for a few more hours."

Winry gave a small growl of annoyance. "I feel fine." That was a lie. Her ribs were aching and her head still hurt from the concussion.

"Bullshit." Paninya said with a smile before frowning. "Doctor Stewart says that he's still unsure of how internally injured you are."

"Does-does he think I might have internal bleeding?" Winry asked nervously.

"He doesn't think so, but just to be safe you aren't supposed to strain yourself in any way." Paninya informed her.

Winry let out a sigh of resignation and lay back in the bed. It looked like she wasn't going to see Ed any time soon.

"Winry?" A childlike voice rang out.

Winry suddenly perked up. "Alphonse!"

Sure enough the younger Elric came lumbering into the room. His metal boots echoing loudly off the tiled floor. Paninya stepped back as the suit of armor took her place by the bed.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Al said excitedly as he pulled Winry into a gentle hug. It had been several weeks since the two of them had last seen each other and this wasn't the ideal reunion.

"Me too." Winry chuckled, her voice cracking with emotion as tears leaked from her eyes.

Al pulled back, being careful as to not distress Winry's injuries. He immediately began to speak very rapidly. "I'm so sorry I didn't come earlier. The last few hour were nuts. We found you and Brother on the road, then both of you were taken to the hospital. Ed was in surgery and you were unconscious. I kept visiting both of your rooms hoping you'd wake up. Then the Colonel showed up and I had to tell him everything that's happened. By then you'd woken up and I was on my way to see you, but then Ed woke up. After that-"

"Whoa, whoa." Winry placed her left hand on his chest plate. Sometimes she forgot that Alphonse didn't need to breathe. "Slow down Al. I get it. Don't worry, I'm not mad."

Al's red glowing eyes seem to soften before saddening as they swept over her injuries. "Winry…" He whispered.

Winry sucked in a breath at how sad Al sounded. Earlier Paninya had handed her a mirror and Winry had seen how awful she looked. Her face, neck, and arms had ugly bruises splotched across them like a child's finger painting. The bruises ranged from bluish black to greenish yellow. Cuts and fresh scabs were scattered over her exposed flesh. The worst ones were either bandaged or stitched up. Her lips were cracked and still sore. Dark shadows hung under slightly bloodshot eyes.

The sight of her in this condition must be horrifying for Al.

"It's not as bad as it looks." She put on a smile to try and reassure the younger Elric. Over Al's shoulder she could see Paninya and Garfiel leaving. No doubt they wanted to give the childhood friends some privacy.

"Ar-are you in any pain? Do they hurt?" He asked concernedly as his hand reached out and hovered near her head wound. Winry winced at the sound of his metal joints scraping against each other.

Her answer was slightly rushed. "No, they've got good pain medication here."

This seemed to reassure Al slightly. His eyes swept over her again before looking down. "I'm sorry that this happened to you, Winry." He said sadly before looking up. "Besides...all that, how are you holding up?"

Winry swallowed nervously. "I'm...doing ok." She stuttered. "A little jumpy though."

Al didn't look entirely convinced. "Do you want to talk about anything? Like the Chopper? I know that he hurt you Winry." He asked quietly.

Winry couldn't help but give a small smile at Al's concern. But still, as touching as it was she didn't feel comfortable with talking about her experience. Not now at least. Instead, she grabbed Al's large hand with her smaller one. "Thank you Al. But I think I'm good for now."

"Good for now?" Al seemed flabbergasted. "Winry you were kidnapped! I mean look at you, look at what he did to you!"

"Al!" Winry said loudly with a glare before her composure cracked and she began trembling. Al was right, she looked terrible. But his words also brought back memories. Unpleasant memories that immediately began to flood her mind and take hold of her senses.

Rough fingers digging into her skin; the hiss of his blade as it sliced through her flesh. The overwhelming feeling of sheer helplessness.

"Winry?" Came a quiet voice.

Winry's eyes flew open to see Al's red ones staring at her. Glancing down, she saw that her left hand was holding the sheets in a death grip. Sweat was forming on her palms and down her back. Winry fought to keep her composure and to not break down completely.

"Please Al I...I don't want to talk about this right now. I'm...not ready."

"Are you sure?" Winry could hear the concern in his voice as he kneeled down so that he was eye level with her. His other hand covered her's, clasping her small hand in metal.

"I'm sure." She placed her bandaged hand on top of Al's. She knew he couldn't feel it, she knew that moments like this made him feel more human. She saw his metal shoulders sink in defeat and felt a pang of guilt. Winry knew she was being a huge hypocrite at the moment. She'd always chastise the Elrics for not being open, yet here she was doing exactly that. She was keeping quiet and simply saying that she was okay.

But deep down Winry knew that she wasn't 'okay'. Earlier when she had heard the door opening, she almost had a panic attack. Just that simple sound had transported her back to her prison. A dark, cold prison where no warmth or safety awaited her. The familiar sounds of Al's joints now suddenly sounded very much like knives being sharpened. Even right now in the hospital bed with Al by her side, Winry didn't feel safe.

She needed to calm down. She needed-

"Edward!" Winry suddenly blurted. "I heard that he was awake."

Al began to rub the back of his helmet sheepishly. "Well he was...but the doctors had to sedate him."

"Sedate him?" Winry's eyes widened.

"Yeah, he, uh, kept trying to leave the room. Almost tore his stitches."

Winry's brow furrowed. "Why?" She asked even though deep down she knew what the answer would be.

Al hesitated before speaking. "He wanted to see you." Al briefly paused then continued. "After he woke up, his first complete sentence was asking about you. But no matter how many times we told him you were safe, brother wasn't satisfied. Eventually, he had enough and tried to leave. He said that he had to see that you were alright himself...and that he had to tell you something."

Winry felt her cheeks heating up as a blush spread over her features. Her eyes quickly focused on her lap as she remembered what Mustang had told her earlier.

Your name.

"That's Edward for you." She muttered with a small smile before glancing at Al. "Do you know what he wanted to tell me?"

Al's metal shoulders creaked as he shrugged.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

After a day chock full of frequent visitors, a long shower, interviews with military personnel, and Doctors examining her injuries. Winry had thought that sleep would come easy to her.

It didn't.

Winry was alone. Al had left so that the doctors could examine her injuries again. That was several hours ago and now it was after midnight. There was nothing to distract her, nothing to keep the demons away.

She lay there staring up at the ceiling of her now lit hospital room. The light was on because trying to sleep a dark room has been too painful. Every sound that echoed across the room caused her to jump. The moonlight had caused the bed's metal posts to look like knives gleaming in the darkness. After several hours of tossing and turning, Winry had painfully climbed out of her bed and switched on the light.

But the light had failed to calm her nerves, nor did she feel any safer.

"It's okay...it's okay." Winry muttered as she wiped sweat off her brow. She was sitting up on the bed with her legs pulled up against her chest. The medication had reduced the pain in her ribs down to a dull ache. 'There are soldiers stationed in the hospital; I'm safe. Besides, the Chopper is in custody. He can't...he can't hurt me any more.' She tried to console herself.

'Oh god. It's just like two years ago!' Winry thought to herself as she remembered all the sleepless nights, the unpredictable panic attacks, and the fear that had followed her whenever she was in public.

'I haven't changed at all.' Tears were now slowly dropping down her face. 'I'm still that stupid, scared little girl…I'm still weak.'

Winry was angry. She was angry at the Chopper for doing this to her; at herself for crying so much; and for always needing someone to comfort her. She paused to look over herself. All of her injuries seemed to glare up at her. Reminding her of how she was once kidnapped and had to be rescued. She brought her good hand up to her lips. They were still bruised and cracked from the Chopper's gnashing teeth. A shiver of disgust traveled through her body as she remembered how he had kissed her.

Her first kiss.

Winry choked and felt bile rising in her throat. This time she couldn't stop it, she simply didn't have the strength to. She quickly leaned to side and spat the foul broth onto the floor. Winry trembled as she moved back to the center of the bed. In her head the memory of the kiss replayed over and over.

It wasn't a real kiss; technically. A real kiss had emotion behind it; it meant something. But Barry had still forced his mouth onto her's and then slithered his way inside. Barry had tasted her and compared her to his dead wife. He didn't seem to get any kind of sexual pleasure from it, but that did little to cheer her up. Just thinking about it made Winry feel dirty and...violated. She had yet to tell anyone about that incident and frankly, Winry didn't know if she could.

She sighed.

'I'm a wreck.' Winry ran her hand through her hair. She really needed to sleep. But she couldn't, not like this.

Not alone.

Winry lifted her gaze to look at the door. She remembered what Al had told her before he left.

" _Brother's room is not actually far from yours. It's eight rooms down the left; room number 22B."_

Before she knew it, her socked feet were moving on the cold ground towards the door. Walking wasn't very easy, but she ignored the aches in her muscles. The knob thankfully turned without much resistance. Stepping back to pull the door open, Winry did her best to be quiet. She didn't want to be caught by some nurse out and about. Leaning out the frame, she saw that the hallway was empty. For a moment she was frozen as she suddenly remembered how she'd snuck around the Chopper's lair in a similar manner. This caused Winry to walk even faster down the left side of the hallway. As she walked stiffly she thought vaguely about Al purposely telling her Ed's room number. Perhaps he knew she would do this; that she would go to Ed.

Winry decided not to think much on it.

 **OoO**

* * *

 **OoO**

"WINRY!?"

Ed's voice echoed off the dusty walls as he ran down the desolate hallway. He felt like he'd been running through this factory for hours. Weaving through endless hallways as if it was some kind of sick maze.

'Dammit! Where is she?' Ed growled to himself as he frantically continued the search. His heart was beating so loudly, it was almost deafening. That, and the growing pool of dread in the pit of of his stomach were almost overwhelming.

'No! Don't get fucking distracted!' Ed thought as he neared another corner. 'I have to keep looking. I have to f-'

Ed's thoughts, and his body, came screeching to a halt as he rounded the corner. His previously frantic breaths caught in his throat which were quickly joined by his heart.

Laying there in the hallway, right in front of him was Winry.

Or at least what was left of her.

Ed's eyes widened in horror as all sense of feeling left his body. He couldn't move, he couldn't breath. All he could do was stare at _her_ through tear filled eyes.

Eventually Ed found himself slowly walking forward, his steps shuffling against the dirty ground. His trembling legs felt weak as tears began to silently fall down his face. Eventually they gave out and he fell forward onto his knees. Blood splashed as he landed in it. It was everywhere. His eyes slowly moved over the scene in front of him, trying to find anything that resembled her.

His gaze first landed on her face. Her once beautiful hair was stained with blood. Brief hints of the blonde strands shone through the dark red. Her left ear was missing; as was her nose. A small, gaping bloody hole stood in its place. Her face; her beautiful, perfect face was destroyed. Long gashes ran across it like a jigsaw puzzle. Her azure eyes still remained and were unharmed. But they now stared up in a permanent look of horror and agony. Her throat was cut from ear to ear. Her neck was almost completely severed, allowing Ed to see the back of her Pharynx.

Ed vaguely felt his knees gave out and his hands supporting him. He was unaware of anything other than the ravaged carcass before him. She had been gutted completely, her intestines were now splattered across her lower stomach. Large chunks of meat from her abdomen and thighs had been removed. Her hands and feet were gone; all hacked off. What remained of them were cold stumps with splintered bones and severed tendons hanging out. As Ed's eyes traveled up her arms, he spotted the dozens of gashes that lined them. Most of them appeared to be defensive wounds meaning that she had tried to fight back. That also meant that she was still alive when this was done to her.

No blood flowed out of these wounds, it was all gone.

Dead.

Ed's whole body trembled as the word echoed through his mind.

Dead.

'No..she can't be...not her!' Ed was now sobbing, practically dry heaving as it finally dawned on him.

Winry was dead.

His hardworking, caring, kind, and beautiful Winry was dead. The girl who played with him and Al as children; who built him limbs so that he could walk again; who always offered him support when he needed it the most. Who gave him his life back. The girl that he loved with every fiber of his being.

She was gone.

That single thought tore through Ed like a thousand knives. It wounded him more than any previous injury, any previous foe.

How long had she been dead? How late had he been? Could he have been here earlier? Could he have saved her?

Ed's trembling hands wracked through his hair, pulling it out of its roots. It felt like a crack was slowly growing inside of him. A large chasm in which no happiness or life could survive. Violent jags cut through him, ripping everything apart. His hands settled on his arms in a self embrace as he stared ahead with broken eyes. His breaths came out in sobbing gasps as Ed felt his heart breaking. The fingers of his hands dug into his arms, his metal ones drawing blood; but he didn't notice.

She was dead and he couldn't do anything about it.

No, he hadn't done anything about it.

Ed's hands slowly moved to her, gently grasping what remained of her sides. He lifted her and pulled her flush against his chest, his face buried into her shoulder. The reeking stench of blood and decay invaded his nostrils. Her body was cold and wet while her blood soaked into his clothes. He could feel her intestines pressed against his chest as they barely clung to the insides of her body.

It was disgusting. But Edward didn't care about any of that. He had to hold her at least one more time.

There were so many things that he never told her. He'd never had the time and now he never would. No! He did have the time, but was too much of a coward.

"I'm sorry Winry." Ed choked out. His eyes were closed, he couldn't bare to look at her or risk losing his mind. "I failed you…I failed you." His whole body trembled as Edward felt more pain than he'd ever experience. More than when Nina had been turned into a chimera, more than the failed transmutation all those years ago.

"I love you."

Ed's eyes shot open; his breathing coming out in pants. Quickly he sat up, but fell back with a groan as his wounds protested. As he lay there he became aware that he was both very sore and drenched in sweat. He winced before opening his eyes again and found himself staring at a white ceiling. It took him several more moments to realize that he was still in his hospital room.

'It was just a fucking nightmare!'

Ed ran his flesh hand across his sweaty brow as memories of the night's events flooded back to him.

"We're safe...we're safe." He muttered quietly as he held his face in his hand. "She's safe. She's okay. I found her." But even as he whispered these words of comfort to himself, his heart still beat erratically.

Nightmares were nothing new to Ed, but that was one of the worst he'd ever had. His past dreams usually involved Al loosing his body, or when they had found Nina. Never before had Ed had a nightmare about Winry.

'Damn hospital drugs.'

Ed lay back in the bed with a pained sigh. No way was he going back to sleep after that. It was going to take him weeks to get those images out of his head.

So Ed lay there in the bed, staring up at the ceiling. As the minutes passed slowly his left hand drifted towards his right side. He touched the empty port of his missing automail. The hospital staff must have removed the broken pieces that had still been attached.

Thinking about his automail also made him think about Winry.

Ed felt that familiar pang of concern in his chest. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the previous 24 hours, but it was still there. When he'd briefly woken up earlier, Al had told him that she was alright and resting peacefully. He'd been happy to hear this, but wouldn't be satisfied until he saw her himself.

But unfortunately he was in no condition to be walking around. His stitches still stung underneath his hospital gown. Ed's earlier attempts to leave the room had strained them and ripping them would be hell. Plus, the two stab wounds in his chest made moving around very difficult. That and being sedated didn't help. So Ed had to resign himself to the fact that he wasn't going to see Winry for several more hours.

But he couldn't help but think of her. Did she blame him for what the Chopper had put her through? If so, he wouldn't fault her. This whole mess had been entirely his fault. But the thought of her blaming him was terrifying. What if she hated him now? What if she never wanted to see him again?

''Don't worry dumbass, you'll see her tomorrow and everything will be fine.' Ed tried to think more positively for a change. 'In a few hours I'll be able to-'

Ed's thoughts were cut off by the sound of a door slowly creaking open. It took Ed a moment to realize that it was his door that was opening. His brow furrowed in confusion, who the hell was visiting him at this hour?

Ed felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as one name floated through his mind; Barry the Chopper.

'It can't be. He has to be in critical condition or something. And besides, Al told me that the military arrested that bastard.' Ed thought, trying unsuccessfully to push himself up. 'But then who…?' His thoughts were again interrupted, this time by a quiet yet familiar voice.

"Ed?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but he'd know it anywhere. Ed's tired eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. Was she really here?

Mustering all of his strength and biting through the pain; Ed pushed himself into a sitting position. His breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She entered the room slowly, a slight look of surprise on her face. She must have expected to find him asleep. But what was she doing here?

"Winry?" He asked quietly.

Winry entered the room slowly, gently closing the door. With a gulp she turned to face him. Under Ed's shirt, Winry saw the edges of the bandages for his various stab wounds. She noted that what was left of his automail arm was gone.

The room was quiet after that, both of them stood there staring at each other. The moments passed by slowly, neither one of them speaking.

Finally one of them spoke. "Hey...alchemy freak." Winry said in a whisper.

Her greeting surprised Ed for a moment before the edges of his lips turned up very slightly. "Hey gearhead."

The corners of Winry's lips twitched a little as well. She hugged herself with her arms as the mood became serious again.

Ed was about to ask Winry why she was visiting him in the middle of the night. But as he opened his mouth to speak, Ed froze.

The moonlight was shining through the window and onto Winry. Her beautiful face was stricken with fatigue and anxiety. Ed could just barely make out the large bags under Winry's tired eyes. Those same eyes also held fear and uncertainty in them. Looking away from her face, Ed saw that her body was subtly trembling. His eyes widened as he understood.

She was scared; just as she had been scared two years ago. Haunted by the trauma and the terror of what had happened. Two years ago she had suffered through this alone.

Not this time.

Instantly Ed pushed himself more up, until he was sitting up completely. Once situated, he extended his one arm towards her.

"Come here Winry." He whispered softly. Ed would never be this gentle or caring with anyone. Besides Al, he'd never give anyone else a hug or hold them as they cry.

Anyone except for Winry.

Winry sucked in a breath and began walking towards the bed; a light limp in her step. Suddenly her feet felt like they had weights attached to them. Eventually Winry reached the left side of bed, almost tripping over herself on the way. But Ed's arm wrapped around her shoulders, being mindful of her right arm, and pulled her closer. He positioned Winry onto the bed so they sat next to one another.

Winry's good arm immediately gripped onto Ed as if her life depended on it. Ed winched as her movements agitated his wounds, but he gave no sign of pain. He had failed her two years and was now being given a second chance. He was not gonna fuck it up.

"I…" Winry spoke after a moment. "I had to see you."

"I know." Ed said as his hand sought her's out. He gripped her hand as the two friends sat only inches away. For several moments they sat in silence, simply enjoying the other's presence. Eventually Winry turned to look at Ed.

Now that she was closer to him, Winry could see Ed's injuries more clearly. His flesh arm was close to his chest. She could tell his ribs must be hurting. Winry felt her breath catch slightly in her throat when she looked at his face. Ed's handsome face was heavily bruised and sported many cuts. His left eye was covered by a bandage that looped around his head. Winry vaguely remembered his eye being heavily swollen after the fight with the Chopper. His cheeks and forehead had several butterfly bandages scattered across them. His right eye was staring straight at her. Guilt, pain, and anger swan through the golden orb as he saw the state of her own injuries. Winry's eyes looked down at her feet. She couldn't help but feel slightly self conscious at having his sharp golden eye scrutinize her.

"Winry."

She glanced up at him. There was now a look of slight desperation in his one visible eye. His left hand was nervously tapping the side of the bed. Winry realized that she had been staring at him for several minutes. A deep flush formed on her face as she turned away. Ed chuckled quietly. This cheerful moment didn't last long as a serious mood descended upon them yet again.

Winry was silent for several moments before she began trembling. Ed's eye widened when he saw the tears trailing down her cheeks; illuminated by the moonlight. Her gaze was downcast, but it rose up briefly to meet his. In her eyes, Ed could see the anguish of the last day. Ed thought of how her eyes must have looked like that two years ago.

"Come here." He murmured quietly, holding out his arm.

Winry's eyes widened slightly in surprise before she accepted Ed's hand and allowed him to pull her against him. Her head immediately rested on his shoulder while Ed's arm gently went around her waist.

"Tell me what's wrong." Ed voice was shaky. He was nervous of screwing this up. "Tell me everything."

"I…I couldn't sleep." Winry whispered, her voice slightly trembling. "I was scared."

Ed gritted his teeth. 'This isn't fair! None of this shit should have happened to her. Winry's not supposed to be hurt, or scared. She supposed to be safe!' For so long Ed had tried to keep it that way. For so long he'd done his best to keep Winry out of harm's way.

"It's over. I've got you." Ed whispered into her hair. "No one's going to hurt you ever again." Ed didn't know if he could keep that promise, but he damn sure would try. Looking at her trembling form now, Ed felt the guilt rise like bile in his throat; as did the need to comfort her.

"Do you want to talk about it? I'm here, I'm here Winry." His had never sounded so calming to her before.

After a few moments Winry removed her head from Ed's shoulder. Blinking away the tears, she looked at him. "Soldiers interviewed me earlier, did you see their report?"

"No. I haven't left this damn room all day." Ed said irritability.

Winry's lips quivered before her trembling voice was heard. "H-he kept me in a old bathroom; chained to the wall. I…I couldn't move. It was so dark."

Ed was silent as he listened to her.

"He'd…visit me every hour. He…he…" Winry sounded like she was going to cry again, her eyes refused to meet his.

"It's okay Winry. You can tell me; I won't judge you." Ed said with an encouraging smile. Inwardly he hated hearing this; he hated hearing about how she'd been imprisoned. But she needed to get this off her chest; she needed his support.

"The Chopper told me what he was planning to do to me. He tortured me with his knife. He cut me so many times." Winry's free hand crunched into a fist by her side. "He taunted me, hit me, and he…then he…" Winry trailed off as her face turned red with shame.

Ed's frown deepened, whatever she was thinking about was really bothering her.

"He also…kissed me."

Ed's jaw dropped and his eye widened. "What!"

"He forced his lips on mine and hi-his tongue…he bit down hard with his teeth." Winry's eyes zeroed in on her lap. "It was disgusting. I tried to fight him off but…" She trailed off, too embarrassed to keep speaking.

Ed gritted his teeth as a growl emitted from deep in his throat. Pure, unrestrained fury rose in his body. Images flashed through his head, images of Winry helpless and chained with Chopper forcing himself upon her. 'That son of a bitch, I should have killed him. How dare he touch her like that!' A small whimper brought him back to reality as Ed realized he was squeezing Winry's arm too hard.

"I'm sorry." Ed gasped as he relinquished his grasp. He then began rubbing her arm, as if to make the pain go away. "I'm so sorry Winry."

"It's fine." Winry offered with a weak smile.

Ed examined her face with concerned eyes. The moonlight illuminated her jaw, showing off her bruised and scraped lips. Ed felt a deep pain in his lower stomach at the sight.

"Are you okay?"

Winry gave a nod.

"He didn't do it to...you know." She said quietly. "He just wanted to know what I tasted like."

Ed let out another angry growl before Winry turned to look at him. She could see the rage practically coming off him in waves.

"It's okay Ed." She said meekly.

"Okay?" Ed asked incredulously. A thought suddenly popped up in his head. "Was that…was it your first kiss?" Winry was silent for a moment and Ed immediately regretted asking such a personal question out of the blue. He stopped berating himself when he saw Winry nodding.

The intense pain in his lower stomach returned in full force. That psychopathic bastard! Her first kiss. Her first kiss and _he_ had stolen it from her. At the moment Ed was trying really, really hard not to loose control in front of Winry. "Winry I…"

"Ed it's okay." Winry said quickly. "I never really cared much about first kisses anyway. Always seemed kinda childish and stupid." Her words were meant to comfort him but they had little effect. Winry bit her lip at the lingering look of pain in Ed's eyes.

"And enough about me." Winry said, trying to change the subject. "How are you feeling?" Her eyes lowered to look at his stomach where the Chopper had stabbed him.

Ed could feel her eyes examining his bandages. She glanced over Ed's injuries again before looking him in the eye.

Ed shifted slightly. He didn't want to drop change the subject, but if Winry wanted to talk about him, then so be it.

"I'm fine." He said quickly, although the aches in his torso said otherwise. The next few minutes passed in silence as neither of them knew what to say. Throughout the whole time, Winry kept glancing at Ed's injuries; the guilt growing more with every look. In the four years since the two Elrics had set out; this was most injured Ed had ever been. Her heart caught in her throat as she realized this was the closest he'd ever been to dying!

And it was because of her. He had been injured because of her. Ed had been stabbed three times because he'd been trying to save her. Eventually she couldn't take it anymore and the words came rushing out before she could help it.

"I'm sorry."

Ed's eye widened, his head whipping around to look at her. Winry was looking at her lap ashamedly while he stared at her in shock.

"What did you say?" Ed asked quietly. Surely he must have misheard her.

"Ed...I'm sor-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" His aggressive voice cut through the air.

Winry raised her head and was taken aback by the emotions on Ed's face. His eye was now ablaze with anger as he stared her down. Winry felt heat rising in her body under his penetrating stare.

"These weren't your fault! _This_ wasn't your fault!" Ed turned his body to face her completely. "Don't you dare say that it was!" His left hand was now gripping her left shoulder rather tightly.

"I spent this whole damn day blaming myself for this. How about we agree that it was neither of our faults and move on! Does that sound good?" Ed's voice softened for the last sentence as did his eyes.

Winry stared at Ed for a moment before the edges of her lips turned up. "Yeah…that sounds good Ed."

Ed let out a breath and relaxed his grip on her shoulder. Suddenly Winry's hand shot up and lightly slapped Ed on the side of his head.

"Ow! What the hell Winry?" Ed snapped as he touched his stinging flesh.

"For your information, I wasn't saying that I was blaming myself. I'm just sorry that you got hurt." Winry said as she motioned to his injuries.

"Why? You didn't do this." Ed said confused.

Winry gave an annoyed sigh before fixing Ed with a stern look. "No, but you were hurt because of me."

"Well it was worth it!" Ed shot back.

What?

Winry blinked in surprise, whatever response she had died in her throat. "Huh?"

'Dammit.' Ed cursed inwardly. 'Nice going idiot!' He then realized that Winry was staring at him, expecting an explanation.

Shit.

"Well uh…I mean…uh. It-you were worth it." He stammered out yet she still understood him. Her eyes widened as his words resonated with her.

"Ed…You almost died!" Winry practically shouted. "You-I…you were stabbed. You could have been killed! What would Al have done if-"

"What would I have done if anything had happened to you?" Ed shot back. For the last 24 hours he had dealt with the fear, the agony, that he might lose Winry. He'd have done anything to spare her the pain of what happened. To hear her now tell him that she wasn't worth it infuriated him.

"What was I supposed to do, Winry? Was I just supposed to let you die? How…" Ed's voice trailed off and Winry heard him make a choking sound.

Winry's jaw dropped as she saw Ed's shoulders begin to shake. A gasp left her when she realized that Edward Elric was crying in front of her. His head dropped as more silent sobs racked his body.

"Ed?" Winry reached her hand up to cup his right cheek. Much to her surprise he placed his own hand on top of hers and squeezed it. After a few more moments Ed lifted his head to look at her.

"How could I have kept going? How could I keep living if you were gone?"

Winry's breath caught in her throat and her heart began to thump loudly. Was Ed saying what she thought he was saying? Her mind went blank and she mumbled a pathetic response.

"Y-you can find another automail mechanic elsewhere." Her voice was shaky and weak.

Ed gave a humorless laugh and again dropped his gaze as he grew serious once more. He closed his eyes and thought back to that night four months prior. He remembered the words he had said to her; the words that she hadn't remembered.

Ed let out a sigh. It was time.

"Winry…you mean so much to me. I know I don't say it often, but you do." Ed raised his head to look her in the eye. "Yes, you are right. I could find another automail mechanic. But I would never, ever find someone to replace you. How could find someone as compassionate, smart, and brave as you. Hell you saved my life yesterday. Winry…you're not just my mechanic. Actually, you are not even just my best friend. You are so, so much more than that. I wouldn't have a life if it weren't for you. I wouldn't be who I am or where I am, now. Without you…"

Small tears were running down Winry cheeks while she simultaneously forgot how to breath.

"Winry…." Ed paused before taking the leap. "I love you."

That was it. Winry's whole world was stopped dead in its tracks by those three words.

'He loves me?' Winry thought dumbly as she stared back at the young alchemist in complete shock. Edward was staring back at her, not a hint of anxiousness on his face. That's what she loved about him. He was always so strong and so brave. At times like this, Winry knew that one day he would get Al and his bodies back. When he had that look in his eyes, she knew that he could conquer the world.

And he loved her.

Winry's hand shakily moved to cover her mouth, as she felt the full weight of Ed's words. She couldn't even help the tears that started to form at her eyes. But these were tears of happiness. She had waited so long to hear those words from him.

"Oh Ed." She whispered lovingly before giving him the brightest, happiest smile he had ever seen. Ed's breath caught in his throat when he saw the love and adoration in her eyes. Did that mean…

"Ed...I love you too."

Ed's eyes widened before a stupid grin slowly formed on his face.

Forgetting about everything else, Winry flung herself forward and latched onto Ed. Unfortunately, this caused a sharp sting of pain to radiate through both of their bodies. The added weight also caused Ed to fall on his back, taking Winry with him.

"Ack!" Ed and Winry collectively groaned the exact same sound as they lay there hugging each other. Ed winced as pain shot through his back and stomach. Thankfully he landed on a pillow so his back didn't hurt that much.

"Sorry." Winry mumbled as she quickly pushed herself off of him. "Did I hurt you? Are your stitches holding?"

"It's ok, just try not to be such a gearhead next time." Ed groaned with a slight grimace. His eyes blinked open to see Winry's face above his. "So d-did you mean it? You…love me?"

Winry smiled as she used her elbow to prop herself up. "Yes." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Really?" His voice sounded giddy and childish, but he didn't give a damn. She smiled and gave a confirming nod.

And like that all the pain in his body seem to vanish. The lingering anxiety and fear of the past 24 hours became a distant memory.

She loved him. Winry loved **him**!

"Good cause…I meant it too." Ed said with a grin as fireworks went off in his head.

Tears of happiness pooled in Winry's eyes. "You don't know how long I've wanted to hear that." She spoke, her warm breath hitting his face. Ed's cheeks turned red, yet he didn't turn away. How could he turn away?

It only vaguely registered to Ed that Winry's face was hovering only mere inches above his own. Nor did it fully hit him that her very, very warm body was practically draped over his. He did however notice when Winry nervously started to close the gap between them.

Ed's eyes widened in surprise as he realized what was about to happen. His surprise increased when his own head lifted to meet her halfway. Their lips paused less than an inch away as the two stared nervously into each other's eyes. Ed's eyes briefly darted down to look at her lips. They still bore the scratches from the Chopper's teeth, yet they also looked as soft and inviting as ever.

"Are you sure?" Ed implored softly. His voice laced with concern. Her face was so close that he could feel the heat radiating from her skin.

Winry's response was to close the distance between them.

It was a gentle kiss, no tongues or anything. Yet as soon as their mouths touched, Ed's mind went blank. All he could feel was Winry. Her chapped, yet soft, lips pressed against his; her smell filling his nose; her warm body flush against him. It was overwhelming.

Winry, on the other hand, felt butterflies in her stomach. This was actually happening! Edward Elric, the one and only man she would ever love, was kissing her. Even after so many years of dreaming about this moment, she still couldn't comprehend it.

Although it was only moments, the kiss seemed to last hours for Ed and Winry. When they pulled away, neither of them could help the giggles or the blushes on their cheeks. Both teens immediately looked away, yet smiles graced both of their faces. After a few moments Winry turned to look at Ed who was also looking at her. Wordlessly Ed laid back on the bed and motioned for her to join him. Winry blushed again before carefully resting her head on his chest. Being mindful of her ribs, Ed wrapped his arm around her waist. After making sure that none of their injuries would be agitated, the two fell into a comfortable silence.

For the first time in two days; they were both at peace.

Ed felt himself beginning to drift back to sleep. He and Winry had a lot to talk about but that could wait until-

"Um Ed?"

-or they could talk right now.

"Winry, I'm tired." Ed groaned. "Can we just talk in the morning?"

He felt her shift slightly on his chest. "I just have to know." Winry replied. "Are we...um…uh you know….together or something?"

Ed's eye cracked open and he glanced down to see her looking up at him.

"You mean like...boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Winry kept herself from blushing this time. 'We really need to work on that.' Ed thought before listening to her response.

"I guess." Winry whispered.

"Sounds alright to me." Ed's lips turned up into his signature grin. "Now let's please get some sleep."

It only took them minutes to fall asleep.

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 **I'm finally done with this stupid chapter! Again I'm sorry for the wait, it'll probably take me longer to update my stories from now on. Plus this chapter was especially difficult to write, specifically the kiss at the end. I did my best to keep them in character.**

 **Well I hoped you all liked this chapter. There will be another one and it will be shorter as well as the final chapter of this story. I would like to thank everyone who has so far followed and reviewed Little Lambs.**

 **Please Review! I love to hear your thoughts.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Final Chapter!**

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Edward Elric usually hated waiting; he just simply didn't have the patience for it. But at the moment, he didn't know whether the waiting should continue or if they should get the damn thing over with.

Ed shifted uncomfortably, a dull ache still lingering in his chest. He could hear whispered conversations coming from all sides of the spacious room. The minutes ticked by slowly as the tension within Ed grew. The fingers of his flesh hand tapped against his metal leg. His eyes looked through the mass of blue uniforms to see if he recognized anyone. Giving up, he tried to remember what day it was; he was pretty sure it was a Monday. This particular Monday was the day Ed had finally been released from the hospital.

It was also the set day of Barry the Chopper's execution.

Ed stood in the basement of East City's military headquarters where a gallows had been hastily constructed. Any minute now, the Chopper would be brought out and then executed via hanging. Around him were several officers and a few reporters. Ed couldn't help but roll his eyes at seeing a priest here. Like the Chopper would want to talk to priest. These men were either setting up for the execution or waiting like himself. Ed looked at the noose as it hung on the high platform. It was about 15 feet in the air, plenty of space for a body to fall. It was funny how something so simple would be the end of this nightmare.

"You do know that you don't have to be here, Fullmetal?"

Ed didn't bother to turn at the sound of Mustang's voice.

"Yes I do." Ed responded. He could sense Mustang standing next to him.

"Pence's replacement, Kaine, has just finished his search of the factory that the Chopper held Miss Rockbell in." Mustang spoke offhandedly after a few moments of silence.

"And?" Ed looked up at him.

"His team found human remains that solve missing persons cases that go back almost a decade." Mustang said. "The entire lair was in a section of the building that went into the earth. The chopper had installed a fake wall in place of a door to keep his hideout hidden. After some digging, we found that this wasn't the first time The Chopper has been to this area. Train records put him in Rush Valley at the times of all the disappearances. Apparently Rush Valley was where the Chopper began his career as a serial killer. Based on the state of some of the remains, he experimented with his victims before perfecting his methods and moving on to kill in his hometown, East City."

"How many people did he kill?" Ed asked.

"Lieutenant Kaine wants to perform another sweep of the area to be absolutely certain, but at the moment we have nine partial remains" Mustang said. "That would bring the Chopper's kill count up to 35 known victims. We'd charge him with these murders but that would only lead to another trial and delay this even more."

"35 people." Ed let out a sigh. "That many huh?"

"You were the one who finally ended it, Fullmetal." Mustang said. "Don't forget that."

"It should have been ended two years ago." Ed muttered.

"No argument there." Mustang said. "But it wasn't you who failed, Fullmetal. You did your duty. We were the ones who failed you and Miss Rockbell."

Ed raised an eyebrow at Mustang actually admitting a fault to him.

"It's ok, Colonel." Ed said. "You're not that much of a bastard."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Mustang deadpanned before his face turned thoughtful. "In the report Ms. Rockbell mentioned that you stopped her from killing the Chopper?" It was more of a statement then a question.

Ed let out a breath. "I couldn't let her do it. Not Winry." He then motioned to his leg and where right arm should have been. "She gave me limbs to walk on; her hands were meant to give life not take it."

Mustang glanced down at his own gloved hands that were clasped in front of his chest. "Not everyone has that privilege."

"Plus," Ed continued. "the Chopper was ranting about how it's natural for humans to kill one another. He believed that what he did was natural. If we had just killed him there, while he was unconscious. It would have…proven him right. I wanted him to know that not everyone was a killer. If that makes any sense."

Mustang gave a nod of understanding, a small smile forming at Ed's words. Despite everything, it seemed Edward Elric could mature after all.

"Where is Miss Rockbell if I may ask?" He asked. Mustang had somewhat expected her to be here.

"She's outside with Alphonse."

"I take it she's been recovering well?"

Ed lips curved up in a small smile. Winry had been doing well. Ever since she'd been discharged from the hospital a week ago, Winry had been getting better and better. Not just physically but mentally as well **.** The trauma of what happened seemed to fade after a few days. Call it egotistical, but Ed liked to think that he'd played a role in that.

He thought of her waiting outside. He couldn't help but reminisce on how similar that circumstance was to the day the Chopper had first kidnapped her. But this time, she had Alphonse with her and they were waiting for him together. Winry had decided not to come for the execution and Ed didn't blame her. He too wanted all of this to be over. But this time; he wanted to see it through to the end.

The thought of Winry also caused an all too familiar sensation inside of him and a smile on his face. Ever since that night in his hospital room, things had been...interesting. Needless to say there was quite a hullabaloo after Winry and him were found sleeping in the same bed. Word had spread rather quickly through the staff but Dr. Stewart had kept things quiet. Which both of them had been thankful for. Since Winry was allowed to leave her room, she would spend almost every hour of the day with him. The first day had been full of bright red blushes and awkward moments. Neither of them really knew how to act around the other after they'd confessed their feelings. But they quickly got back into the swing of things, constantly bickering about the most pointless of subjects; while still stealing the occasional kiss.

Ed, though, had been worried about how Al would react to the news that Winry and him were now…an item? Dating? Anyway, Ed had remembered that Al and him had once fought over who would marry Winry. Thus he was worried that his brother might still have some feelings for their childhood friend. The last thing he wanted to was unintentionally break his little brother's heart.

Alphonse, however, had been quite ecstatic when he learned about the change in his brother's and Winry's relationship. Apparently he'd gotten over his crush on their childhood friend years ago and had been hoping for something like this to happen for a while. The younger Elric then proceeded to tease the two embarrassed teens for the rest of that day.

"Fullmetal, are you going to answer me or just stand there with that lovestruck smile on your face all day?" Mustang's drawl cut through the young alchemist's reminiscing like a knife cutting through butter.

Ed's face flushed red as he turned to glare up at his smirking superior officer. Unfortunately he couldn't come up with any rebuttal causing Mustang to laugh at his befuddled expression.

Ed growled and turned away. "She's doing okay." He muttered, hoping to retain some of his damaged pride.

"That's good to hear." Mustang said somewhat cheerfully, completely ignoring Ed's sulking. "She's a fine young girl."

Ed turned to the Colonel with a furrowed brow. "What's that suppose to mean?"

Mustang gave a look of feigned innocence. "What do you mean Fullmetal? I'm just complimenting Ms. Rockwell for the smart, resourceful, and if I might say, quite pretty young lady that she is. There's nothing wrong with that is there?"

"Stop it!" Ed growled.

"Stop what?"

"Stop talking about her, you womanizing bastard!" Ed shot back.

Mustang merely shook his head. "My, my Fullmetal; I never would have taken you for the jealous type."

Ed was seriously about to contemplate throttling the Colonel when Lieutenant Hawkeye suddenly appeared next to them.

"It's time." She said.

Mustang's demeanor immediately became serious and after a quick glance at Ed, began to walk towards the gallows. Ed gulped and turned as well. He almost jumped when he felt a hand on his right shoulder. Glancing to the side, he saw it was from Hawkeye. The usually professional lieutenant gave him a reassuring smile. Ed gave a smile back before the sound of a door opening was heard followed by the shuffling of chains.

Barry was led in by four armed guards. He wore an orange prison uniform with shackles around his hands and feet. The shackles were connected by chains leading to a collar around his neck. He moved stiffly, the chains or his injuries were the likely cause. The area where his right eye once sat was now a sewn up gash. As was the cut that ran across his face. Ed exhaled as he watched them start to lead Barry across the large room.

Suddenly Barry's head shot up, like a dog who'd just caught a scent. He turned and his eye zeroed in on Ed. Ed stiffened as he felt Hawkeye squeeze his shoulder reassuringly. But he didn't waver or flinch away. Instead Ed held the Chopper's gaze, returning his glare.

The soldier behind Barry shoved the killer to get the him moving. The Chopper moved forward without any further coercion, walking towards the noose seemingly without a care in the world. Ed continued to glare at the killer as he walked forward. The Chopper still showed the injuries from their confrontation in the desert. Despite them he walked with a bored confidence as his remaining eye once again went to Ed.

Ed's expression didn't betray a single emotion as he watched the Chopper ascend the steps of the gallow. The Chopper's mouth formed a small smirk and his one good eye winked. Ed didn't respond, as he just kept staring back. The smile left the Chopper's face when Ed did not give a reaction. It was then that Barry reached the top of the stairs and was now at eye level with the noose. Waiting for him at the top was Mustang, another guard, and the executioner. Ed could see the Chopper gazing at the rope thoughtfully as he was stood near it.

Mustang stepped forward and with a loud voice spoke. "Barry Jewell, you have been convicted for the murders of 23 women and 3 men in the first degree. You have also been convicted of multiple accounts of kidnapping and torture. And finally, the assault of a State Alchemist." Mustang glared at Barry the whole time he spoke. The Chopper looked bored. "For these crimes, you have been sentenced to hang by the neck until death. You've dismissed the option of receiving your last rites so the execution shall proceed immediately. Do you have any final words?"

Barry lazily turned to look at Mustang before looking at the crowd in front of him. The edges of his lips turned upward.

" _I don't care if I live or die. Go ahead and kill me"_

His eye landed on Ed as he spoke the last sentence. Mustang turned to the executioner and gave a nod before stepping back. The executioner began to place a black hood over the Chopper's head, but he leaned away from it.

" _I want to see it coming."_ He said.

The executioner hesitated in his movements and looked back at Mustang who gave him another nod. The executioner walked away and placed the bag down. The Chopper straightened himself as the rope was fitted around his neck. Once it was secured the executioner stepped back and moved over to the lever. The Chopper glanced down at the trap door he was standing on and then back at the people looking at him. His and Ed's eyes meet one final time. There was no emotion coming from the Chopper's one good eye. It was like he was already dead. The executioner pulled the lever.

 **Crack!**

Ed let out a breath as he watched the body of Barry the Chopper sway in the air. It had been over in less than half a second. The Chopper had fallen and died. Ed looked up at the lifeless face of the killer. He looked at how the Chopper hung at an angle with the way that his neck was bent.

He didn't feel the way that he thought he would, and that made him glad.

Killing shouldn't be something that should be enjoyed. Barry enjoyed it. He enjoyed it so much that he destroyed the life that he had and dedicated the rest of it to murdering as many people as possible.

As Ed stood there, he didn't feel happy or satisfied. He only felt relief that this was over.

It was finally over.

The hand on his shoulder tugged on it causing Ed to turn.

"Come on. I'm sure Alphonse and Winry are waiting." Hawkeye said before glancing at the hanging body. "You don't need to be here any longer."

Ed nodded and followed the Lieutenant out of the crowded basement. He could hear the officers talking and the sounds of reporters snapping pictures but Ed tuned that out. Some of the reporters tried to question him but were scared off by the glare that Hawkeye threw at them. For several minutes he and Hawkeye walked in silence before she turned to look at him. "How are you?"

Ed's pace didn't falter. "Fine."

Hawkeye nodded and looked at the hallway in front of them. "So what now Edward?" She glanced at his right sleeve, which was empty.

Ed let out a sigh, "Well I guess Al and I just go back to doing what we usually do; follow leads until we eventually find something."

"Do you plan to do that with only one arm?" Hawkeye asked.

"No." Ed said as the two began to ascend a staircase. "Before all that starts up again I'll need to take a detour to Resembool."

"How long do you think you'll be there?"

Ed's face got slightly red. "Well…uh I was thinking about a week…or maybe several. The doctors say I should rest a little longer."

Hawkeye raised an eyebrow. Ed was never one to follow a doctor's orders. "This extended visit wouldn't have anything to do with Winry now would it?"

Ed almost tripped over himself as his face grew flushed. He turned to Hawkeye to protest but stopped when he saw the small but genuine smile of her lips. Ed's shoulders hung in defeat and he let out a sigh. "Maybe." He muttered. "How did-"

Hawkeye smiled. "It was quite obvious from the way you two acted around each other. I only wonder how it took this long for you two to realize how you felt."

"Yeah well I've been busy lately." Ed grumbled defensively. His eyes avoided hers. This caused Riza to frown as she took in the young teen's body language. Something was bothering him and it wasn't just the embarrassment.

"Is something wrong Edward?"

Ed seemed to flinch at her words and he shifted uncomfortably. "Am I…do you think I'm being selfish Lieutenant?"

Hawkeye's brow furrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Ed finally lifted his head to look her in the eye. "Am I being selfish by getting together with Winry?" Seeing her confusion only grow, Ed decided to explain. "The reason Barry targeted her was to get back at me. What if someone else tries that in the future? What if by getting closer to Winry, I-I'm only endangering her more? I…I just want to keep her safe." The last words were barely above a whisper.

Riza's eyes widened at his words before turning sympathetic. For the second time that day, the blond lieutenant reached out and put a hand on Ed's shoulder. "You love her, don't you?"

Ed stiffened but he gave a small nod.

"And you want to be with her?"

Again Ed nodded.

"It's only natural that you'd want to protect her. But is pushing her away really the best means of doing that?" Hawkeye said. "You also have Winry's feelings to consider. I think she has a say in this as well."

At this Ed shifted and he started to rub the back of his head uncomfortably.

"What?" Riza asked with a frown.

"I kinda…already brought this up with Winry." He mumbled

Hawkeye took her hand off of Ed's shoulder and she shook her head. "And?"

"She…thought I was breaking up with her, started crying, then almost killed me with a wrench. I really fumbled that one" Ed said sheepishly. "But we're good now, I fixed it. But I'm still unsure if I'm doing the right thing."

Hawkeye gave a sigh, Edward was going to have to really work on his relationship skills. "Edward, you love Winry and she loves you back. Don't do something that you'll regret for the rest of your life. And if trouble does come up, you two won't be on your own. You have Alphonse, me, the Colonel, and many other friends. After everything you and Al have been through, you deserve some happiness." Riza resumed walking walking down the hallway toward the main lobby with Ed following. "Besides, I think Winry's more than capable of taking care of herself." The last sentence caused Ed to chuckle.

They reached the lobby of the building. Light was pouring in through the glass doors that lead outside. Hawkeye stopped to look at Ed, her face was stern.

"Winry is a nice girl. You better treat her well; buy her gifts, take her out to lunches and dinners, and always think before you speak." She said in a voice that left no room for argument.

Ed gulped before nodding vigorously. Riza's face softened and she glanced behind them.

"I need to be heading back downstairs." Hawkeye said. "The Colonel has a long day ahead of him. Do try to have a peaceful stay at Resembool."

"I'll try." Ed said with a small smile. The older woman gave him one final nod before turning and heading back down the hallway. Ed watched her walk away for a few moments before moving towards the door. Using his one good arm he pushed it open, wincing at the sunlight. Once his eyes had adjusted, he saw a large suit of armor not too far away. Sitting on a bench next to that armor was Winry, looking as beautiful as ever. She wore a white jacket with a pink tank top and a dark magenta skirt. Winry's hair was pulled back into a nice ponytail, it seemed to glow in the sunlight.

Winry glanced over as he descended the steps, immediately perking up when she saw him. She nudged Al with her elbow and pointed. Al's armor clinked as he stood up and jogged over to him.

"Brother." Al said as he came up to him. "How...how are you?"

"I'm fine, Al." Ed said with a weak smile. "Just glad that this is all over."

"You ready to head back to Resembool?" Al asked. "We have all the bags packed and the tickets ready."

Ed's eyes went to Winry as she came around from behind Al. She smiled at him and he returned it.

"Yeah." He said looking back up at Al. "Definitely."

Winry walked up to him and took his gloved hand in her own. Ed glanced down at her hand and the cotton glove it was wearing. Ever since being released from the hospital, Winry had taken to wearing a glove over her hand to hide the still healing stump of her missing finger. Ed has assured her that it didn't bother him, but she wore it anyway. Winry gave his hand a gentle squeeze as he looked at her. His golden eyes locked on her deep azure ones. And like that, all anxiety about the execution or what the future held seemed to vanish.

"You ready to head home?" He asked.

Winry smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Definitely, but don't think you're going to get any special discount on your automail." She said before leaning in for another.

"I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life aren't I?" Al muttered in annoyance as he watched his brother and surrogate sister kiss again, this time on the lips.

Ed broke the kiss and intertwined his arm with Winry's. "Come on Al, the train leaves in ten minutes." Ed called back to his younger brother. Ed heard Al mutter something about wasting time with kissing, but he didn't really make it out. He wasn't really paying attention to the things around him. He was thinking about what Hawkeye had said to him.

'She's right.' He thought. 'Pushing her away wouldn't solve anything.' He had no doubt this question would return to plague him in the future, but Ed didn't want to focus on that.

Right now, all he was focused on was Winry and how she was leaning her head against his shoulder. And the way she held his hand.

Everything was going to be alright.

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 **And this is it for 'Little Lambs'. Jerry Jewell is the name of Barry's voice actor. I picked his last name since Barry doesn't seem to have a last name in the show, I went with that. Anyways, I hope you all like. Please, please review and leave your thoughts. I'm also thinking about making more sequels to this in the future. Maybe how Ed and Al eventually get their bodies back and what Ed and Winry's relationship is like when they get older.**

 **Before I end this author's note, there's something I want to talk about. When I first started writing this story (and I noticed this for Princess Bride as well) a lot of your reviews talked about how glad you were that I was writing this story. Several of you said that it was so hard to find a good Edwin fic. I quickly realized that you're right, there aren't enough Edwin stories. Despite their relationship being canon in Brotherhood and the manga, not many people seem to write about them. It seems like the most popular FMA pairing is actually EdxRoy and that frankly just seems weird to me. (I could rant about everything wrong with RoyEd for hours but I'll spare you the headache).**

 **Ed and Winry are one of my favorite couples, not just in anime but in all of fiction. They just work off each other so well and are perfect for each other. I want to see more stories about them and if you agree with me then try your hand at writing one. Even if you have never written a fanfic before, just try. It doesn't have to be a multi chapter story, it could just be a one shot. Hell, I started off with just writing a one shot story. I didn't even think Drunken Confessions was that good and I was honestly surprised by the positive feedback (thank you curligurlu0896, Vhosek, and miskee).**

 **I hope of few of you take my words to heart or else I've wasted a perfectly good, cheesy speech.**

 **Thank you everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited this story. I have a few more ideas for stories lined up. The next one will probably be a story that I've been wanting to do for a while. Its going to be a modern EdWin AU. I came up with the idea for it while I was writing Princess Bride but it's been in development purgatory for months. I keep rethinking the story so it might be a while before you finally get to read it. Stay tuned.**

 **Mediafan out.**


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